It’s official. Fox has, dare we say, drawn first blood and closed the deal to develop Rambo: New Blood for TV. Sylvester Stallone is set to be an executive producer for the series, but it is unclear whether he will only be producing or actually reprising his role as Rambo. Even though Stallone has played Rambo in all four movies in the franchise, Fox has yet to announce who will be playing the title character
The Rambo franchise consists of four feature films: First Blood, Rambo: First Blood Part II, Rambo III, and Rambo. After Rambo premiered in 2008, there was talk of a fifth film, but the project was put on hold. The original Rambo films were based on the novel, First Blood, by David Morrel about a Vietnam War veteran/ex-Green Beret. And if you’ve seen any of the Rambo movies, you already know this. The TV series based on the feature franchise will follow a father-son storyline. Rambo’s son has not appeared in any of the films, so the TV series will be introducing this character for the first time. Yes, they will be officially introducing Rambo’s son, and it will be nothing like the weird movie, Son of Rambo, about an English lad who begins to think of Rambo as a lost father figure. The TV series will of course honor the original films and acknowledge the previous storylines, but the series will focus more on the relationship between Rambo and his son. The son, J.R., is set to be an ex-Navy SEAL which seems only fitting considering his lineage.
Fox has not released many details surrounding the Rambo TV series, so it unclear when it will premier. The series will be written by Jeb Stuart who also wrote Die Hard and The Fugitive. This is not the first attempt to turn the action franchise into a TV series, however. Back in 2013, Nu Image/Millenium Films and eOne initially attempted to develop Rambo for TV but without much success.
It would appear that turning movies into TV shows is all the rage these days. Rambo: New Blood is not the only feature turned TV series in the works. Stallone’s other action franchise, The Expendables, is also said to be receiving a TV series from Fox, and other popular movies titles are being developed for television such as Taken for NBC and The Notebook for the CW.