“Rambo: Last Blood” could’ve been a SF film in the style of “Predator”. That was the original storyline

In 2019, the fifth installment of the “Rambo” series hit theaters. “Last Blood” followed the titular hero’s journey to Mexico, where he set out to rescue his friend’s daughter, who had been kidnapped by a cartel. However, the original plans for the storyline were different.

In 2009, a year after the release of “John Rambo”, work was underway on a film titled “Rambo V: The Savage Hunt”. In this version, Rambo, his 22-year-old companion Beau Brady, and a team of soldiers would face off against a genetically modified, half-human creature at the Arctic Circle—a killing machine. In his attempt to stop the monster from reaching civilization, Rambo would battle it in a manner similar to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character in the original “Predator“, with the film incorporating elements of slasher horror and science fiction. The story was loosely based on James Byron Huggins’ novel “Hunter”, which features a similar plot about Nathaniel Hunter tracking a deadly creature. Ultimately, this concept was abandoned in favor of the rescue mission plot that ended up on screen.

In “Last Blood”, Stallone didn’t direct but did co-author the screenplay. Alongside the iconic actor, the film starred Adriana Barraza, Paz Vega, Yvette Monreal, and Sergio Peris-Mencheta. The production, however, did not receive favorable reviews.