A fake news story that led people to believe they were going to witness Rambo fighting Islamic State was heavily circulated, complete with supposed quotes from the star. Before long, rumor was being reported as fact. His request was denied and he left for the airportР’В the next morning.Р”Р‡ans immediately started to speculate about who the former Green Beret would be going up against this time around. ''At the very end of the movie I should kill you.'' Douglas wanted to drive off into the sunset wearing Rambo's now-iconic bandana. 'He said to me: 'Here's what I want,'' Stallone recalled. The veteran actor was originally signed on to play Trautman ( promotional materialР’В featuring him in character was even produced), but complications arose when he turned up to the first day of the shoot with a revised script. One person who reallyР’В didn't want Rambo to survive the film was Kirk Douglas. All this, and now we're gonna kill him?'' 'He said, 'You know, Ted, we put this character through so much. According toР’В director Ted Kotcheff (per Entertainment Weekly), Stallone pulled him to one side after they shot the scene and implored him to change his mind. The first cut of First BloodР’В ended in a similar fashion, with Rambo grabbing Trautman's gun and pulling the trigger on himself. No amount of substandard sequels can change the fact that John Rambo is one of the most influential action heroes in film history, but how much do you really know about him? 1988's Rambo IIIР’В and 2008's RamboР’В both failed to reach the high bar set by the original, but Stallone has promised a ' very intense' finale in Rambo V: Last Blood.Р’В The characterР’В will remain forever ingrained in pop culture, regardless. The first sequel, 1985's Rambo: First Blood Part II, managed to surpass it at theР’В box office, but the critics were not so receptive. As a matter of fact, the day of filming I was hoping that it would never happen, that it would just go away.'Р”Вespite Stallone's reservations, First Bloodbecame one of the defining films of the 1980s. 'It had been around so many actors and gone through many changes with directors, and I was very nervous. 'It was kind of a jinxed project,' he said. First BloodР’В had been kicking around Hollywood for so long by the time Stallone got a call that he almost passed on it. 'I think they were going to lab animals before they got to me,' he told Howard SternР’В in 2019. According to Stallone,Р’В Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Paul Newman,Р’В James Caan, Nick Nolte,Р’В Robert Redford, and Burt Reynolds were all consideredР’В before him.

It's hard to imagine anyone but Sylvester Stallone wearing John Rambo's famous sweatband, but heР’В was far from first choice for the role.

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