another Rambo movie inevitable. Of course, Rambo 3 doubled down on what made the second entry so popular, meaning bigger explosions, a bigger bodycount and bigger muscles for Stallone.
Rambo 3 also held the record - albeit briefly - for the most expensive movie ever made. Speaking with Indie Film Hustle podcast, co-writer Sheldon Lettich recalled how he and Stallone settled on the Soviet-Afghan war as the storyline. Stallone had wanted to move away from jungles after the second movie, while the conflict in Afghanistan was in the headlines at the time; again, this made Russia the villain. However, Lettich recalled that Stallone was worried about the potential political hot potato of the concept, leading the writer to work on an alternate Rambo 3 premise.
The Alternate Rambo 3 Sent Stallone To Siberia
Lettich's other First Blood too.
Not only would the snowy setting have been a unique location for a Rambo film, but the premise itself would also have been more intimate and character-based. Rambo 3 - which nearly had a terrible alternate ending - suffered from excess in every area, all in favor of a wafer-thin plot. In the end, Stallone decided Afghanistan was the best setting, but many of his reservations - such as the Soviet-Afghan war coming to an end before its release - came to . Rambo 3 felt dated by the time it hit theaters, and the large-scale action did little to mask its faults. In the aftermath, Stallone didn't make another Rambo for 20 years.
Stallone Rejected A Ludicious Sum For Rambo IV
While making Rambo 3, both Stallone and the producers felt they had another megahit on their hands. The producers then offered Stallone a staggering $34 million to immediately sign on for Rambo IV. Stallone recounted to THR that he ed on the offer, telling them “Let’s not jump the gun here …” While Rambo 3 made money, its gross was about $100 million down from the second entry, while its high production costs also ate into its profitability. If Rambo IV - which almost had a spinoff - had happened back then, maybe Stallone would have circled back to the Siberia concept.
