The unlikely actor Sylvester Stallone would cast in ‘Rambo’ today: “I’m genuinely touched by that”

Posted On December 22, 2024December 22, 2024

Although Sylvester Stallone’s most iconic character will always be Rocky Balboa, Rambo is a close second. The actor portrayed the antihero in five films between 1982 and 2019, creating a modern-day superhero with his hulking, monosyllabic performance and making that minuscule tank top and ever-present bandana an instantly recognisable combo.

Rambo was introduced in the 1972 novel First Blood by David Morrell as a homeless Vietnam War veteran with PTSD who takes the law into his own hands to exact vigilante justice on crooked law enforcement and criminals, and Stallone picked that premise up and ran with it all the way to the box office. When it was released in 1982, First Blood was a box office smash, taking the number one spot at the US box office for three weeks in a row and raking in more than $125million off a $15million budget. Although it was outranked by Rocky III, it showed that Stallone could be more than just a loveable underdog, and offered him a bridge to yet another iconic franchise.

Ever since Stallone’s 2019 portrayal of the character in Rambo: Last Blood, there has been talk of a new Rambo. The actor has said that he would like to continue playing the character, but has also stated that he would be interested in a prequel about the protagonist’s time during the war, which presumably would star a much younger actor. Given the financial incentive for studios to crank out remakes, prequels, and reboots (as was evident with the reboot of the Rocky franchise), a new round of Rambo movies seems inevitable. Stallone seems well aware of this and has even suggested his replacement. When asked who he would cast as the iconic lone wolf today, he had two words: Ryan Gosling.

It’s safe to say that Stallone is an outlier here. Gosling is a highly versatile actor with three Oscar nominations under his belt. He’s even portrayed varying types of vigilantes in several films, including Gangster Squad, Only God Forgives, and Drive. But while he is undoubtedly the most soulful toothpick chewer in Hollywood, he isn’t the kind of brawny, sweatband-wearing avenger that Stallone has been for the past four decades.

When asked how he felt about Stallone’s endorsement, Gosling was suitably dumbfounded. “That is incredible,” he said. “He’s one of my favourite actors. Just the fact that he knows my name is exciting. He’s the best. I’m genuinely touched that he said that.”

If you were to poll a group of film fans about who they thought would make the best successor to Stallone, you’d probably get names like Dwayne Johnson (they call him “The Rock” for a reason), Jason Momoa, or anyone in the cast of 300. More recently, Aaron Pierre practically auditioned for the role in the 2024 film Rebel Ridge, in which he played a scarred veteran seeking vengeance on a corrupt system.

Still, if Ryan Gosling wants to end his streak of unfulfilled Oscar nominations, moving from Ken in Barbie to Rambo might just convince the Academy that he’s the greatest chameleon of his generation.

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