Paramount+ is still riding high coming off the release of Season 2 of Tulsa King. The season finale aired in November, capping off a run of high stakes for Sylvester Stallone's "The General" and even higher viewership numbers. For those looking to keep the Stallone streak going while waiting for Season 3 and beyond, the streaming service is bringing in one of the Oscar nominee's action classics to start the new year. First Blood, the first installment of the Rambofranchise, will hit Paramount+ on January 1 and reintroduce subscribers to the Vietnam War vet who helped cement its star as a household name.
While Stallone is best recognized for his work in the Rocky movies, First Blood helped to establish him as a favorite in the action genre and had a wider influence on the genre as a whole. It's largely carried by Stallone's performance as the titular muscle-bound military man, who drifts into a small Washington town in hopes of seeing off an old war buddy who died from the effects of Agent Orange. When he arrives, however, he's only greeted with cruelty from the town's police officers, led by Sheriff Will Teasle (Brian Dennehy). When their brutality brings back memories of the torture he endured in Vietnam, he lashes out against the officers and flees into the wilderness, relying on his survival instincts to evade the manhunt. His former commanding officer ultimately steps in to de-escalate the situation and keep anyone else from getting hurt.
First Bloodadapts the novel of the same name by David Morrell with Ted Kotcheff behind the camera and Stallone co-writing the screenplay with Michael Kozoll and William Sackheim. The main cast was rounded out by the late Richard Crenna, who played Rambo's mentor and superior, Colonel Sam Trautman. Despite the previous failures at bringing to life the story of a complicated, troubled war veteran, the Stallone-led feature overcame initially mixed reviews to garner $125.2 million at the box office against an only $18 million budget and become a classic. His powerful performance, in particular, earned the film high praise in retrospect and made him synonymous with the character.
What's Next for the 'Rambo' Franchise?
The success of the first film spawned an entire franchise of films, games, and more centered around Rambo, who, in the original novel, was meant to die at the end of the story. On the big screen, his story would continue in Rambo: First Blood Part II, co-written by Stallone and James Cameron, which saw the titular character defy orders after being released from prison in order to rescue U.S. POWs. Stallone would continue to reprise the role in Rambo III, Rambo, and Rambo: Last Blood, but none would get the same praise as the film that started it all. The fifth film appeared to finally close out the soldier's tale, though there may yet be more to tell. Stallone previously proposed a Rambo streaming project that would look to show how the character became who he was through the influence of war. For now, though, he appears more focused on developing a prequel focused on Rocky, even penning a few pages as of September with hopes of eventually getting the series to streaming.
First Blood streams on Paramount+ starting on January 1. Stay tuned here at Collider for more updates on all the biggest titles coming to and leaving streaming.
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A veteran Green Beret is forced by a cruel Sheriff and his deputies to flee into the mountains and wage an escalating one-man war against his pursuers.
Image via Orion Pictures
English (US) ·