Sylvester Stallone pitched AI de-ageing technology for scrapped Rambo prequel

Before the Noah Centineo-starring prequel came to be, Sylvester Stallone wanted to use AI de-ageing technology for his own Rambo origins movie.

Sylvester Stallone wanted to use AI de-ageing technology for his scrapped Rambo prequel.

The 79-year-old actor – who portrayed the action hero from 1982’s First Blood until 2019’s Rambo: Last Blood – was hoping to explore the origins of John Rambo in a new movie, and Stallone has now revealed he considered using AI to digitally de-age him for the film.

During an interview with Screen Rant, he said: “I wanted to do the first AI … not retroactive … but I wanted to rewrite history of the earlier Rambo because I wanted Rambo to be the nicest guy in the school, the valedictorian, the prom king, and all that stuff.

“And when he goes to Vietnam, he thinks it’s going to be a three-week hit-and-run, and you see him being tortured and captured, his friends murdered, one thing after another, and [his] life in Saigon. And that’s how I became the way I became, but originally I was bon vivant–that kind of thing.

“And I thought, ‘We could do this with AI’, but [we] procrastinated too long and they took it over and, I hope, you know, good luck.”

First Blood – which also starred Richard Crenna, Brian Dennehy and David Caruso – follows Vietnam veteran John Rambo, who drifts into a small town and clashes with a hostile sheriff, sparking a manhunt that escalates into a brutal survival battle.

While Stallone’s Rambo prequel never came to fruition, the character is set to return to the silver screen for the origins film John Rambo.

The movie – which will be a prequel to First Blood – stars Noah Centineo as the titular action hero, and will follow Rambo’s time in Vietnam with the Green Berets.

According to industry insiders, John Rambo is expected to enter principal photography in early 2026 in Thailand.

John Rambo will be helmed by Sisu director Jalmari Helander, who will work from a screenplay by writing pair Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani.

Lionsgate is said to be the frontrunner to distribute the picture.

Stallone had previously suggested he wanted Ryan Gosling to succeed him as Rambo after discovering that the Barbie star was a big fan of the franchise growing up.

During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last year, the Rocky actor said: “I met him at a dinner and obviously we’re opposites. He’s good-looking – I’m not. That’s how it works.

“But he goes, ‘I was fascinated by Rambo, and I used to go to school dressed as Rambo and people would chase me away and I still didn’t stop.’

“He just kept saying that he had a lot of affiliation with Rambo, and I thought, this is interesting. If I ever pass the baton, I’ll pass it on to him because he loves the character.”