Stallone Pitched AI De-Aging for Young Rambo Prequel

Stallone's Ambitious AI Pitch for a Young Rambo

Even after four decades, Sylvester Stallone isn't quite ready to hang up his iconic headband. The legendary actor revealed he was prepared to return as John Rambo one more time, but not in the way fans might expect. During a discussion on The Playlist’s Bingeworthy podcast, the Tulsa King star detailed an audacious pitch for the franchise's future.

Instead of a sequel to 2019’s Rambo: Last Blood, Stallone proposed a prequel centered on an 18-year-old John Rambo. The most surprising part of the pitch was that Stallone wanted to portray the young soldier himself, utilizing advanced de-aging AI technology to turn back the clock.

Overcoming Skepticism with Technology

The idea was met with considerable doubt. “Everyone thought I was crazy,” Stallone admitted of the reaction to his proposal. However, he remains confident in the current capabilities of artificial intelligence to make such a feat possible.

“AI is sophisticated enough to go through Saigon to see him at 18 years old and basically use the same image,” Stallone argued. “So it isn’t as big a stretch.”

A New Face for Rambo?

While Stallone was eager to take on the role again, reports suggest that Noah Centineo is slated to play the character in the developing Rambo prequel. Stallone commented on the challenge another actor would face when stepping into one of his most iconic roles. He warned that it's an incredibly difficult task, drawing a parallel to his own experience starring in the 2000 remake of Get Carter.

“It’s very, very hard. He may do a stellar job, but you’re overcoming this because I went through it with Get Carter,” he explained. “Everyone loves the original, and then you’re always fighting that prejudice.”

A Different Vision for Rambo's Origin

This isn't the first time Stallone has shared his ideas for a Rambo origin story. In a 2022 conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, he expressed his belief that the prequel was “getting close” to happening and detailed his unique creative vision for the project.

“I wanted to do it like a Ken Burns documentary on Vietnam, where you drop young Rambo in there and he’s this outgoing guy, football captain, and then you see why he becomes Rambo,” he said. He noted, however, that the studio had a different direction in mind. “But what they want to do is a modern-day story where I pass the torch. That’s getting close.”