Booth Bay Dinner Theatre & Movie

Word emerged at the end of the summer that Sylvester Stallone was once again preparing to step into the shoes of John Rambo, a follow-up to his 2008 revival in “Rambo.” While it’s hard to find fault with the reasoning behind bringing Rambo back again — he does, in fact, kick a large amount of ass — the premise of this sequel, set at the time to start shooting in the spring of 2010, left myself and many other fans confused.

“Rambo V: The Savage Hunt,” as originally revealed by Stallone in early September, would pit the aging Vietnam veteran against a “feral beast… [an] amalgamation of fury and intelligence and pure, unadulterated rage,” the product of a failed government experiment. So basically… “Predator,” but with a mutated super-soldier in place of an alien warrior. Not exactly the most “Rambo”-esque plotline. I, for one, was not pleased.

It’s hard to say exactly what led to this latest turn of events, but the “feral beast” plans seem to have changed. Stallone, who commendably keeps up an active back-and-forth with his fanbase, shot off an e-mail to fansite StalloneZone (via Latino Review) detailing the change in direction:

So the man vs. beastman idea goes to another movie, another character. Perhaps still a Stallone vehicle, but his name won’t be John Rambo. Instead, the bandanna-wearing one will be heading “over the border” to a “violent city where many young women have vanished.” I wonder if that’s a reference to real-world politics — perhaps the Taliban? — or simply a hint that the story will focus on the illegal sex trade somewhere outside the United States. Either way, I expect Stallone’s promise that “there will be blood” can be taken very seriously.

Can’t. Wait.

Are you pleased to see the beast angle taken out of “Rambo”? Or were you excited at the thought of a sci-fi twist injecting something new into the series?