Sylvester Stallone shot down more zeroes than John Rambo did enemy forces.
Stallone starred as the Vietnam War veteran in five movies: the original trilogy and two subsequent movies as part of a franchise reboot. The original movie “First Blood” was a critical and commercial darling with the subsequent two sequels being received less warmly.
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In a new interview, Stallone revealed that he was offered “Rambo IV” before “Rambo III” even came out. He turned down the offer and a whopping $34 million before the studio realized that a fourth film was inadvisable.
“I turned down 34,” Stallone recently told The Hollywood Reporter. “We were doing ‘Rambo III’. We thought it was going to be the biggest hit — this was before it came out. And I was paid a fortune for it.
“Then they go, “We want ‘Rambo IV’. Here it is: Pay or play, 34.’ I go, ‘Let’s not jump the gun here…'”
That was back in 1980s. Adjusting for inflation, that $34 million would go for around $85 million today.
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“For real. That’s not a joke,” Stallone said. “Oh boy, what an idiot. Now I think about that and… wow.”
Stallone eventually reunited with John Rambo on the 20-year anniversary of “Rambo III” with the 2008 movie “Rambo” and 2019’s “Rambo: Last Blood”.
