Sylvester Stallone Wraps Filming on ‘Rambo V’: “It’s Been an Amazing Journey”

Nearly 40 years after Sylvester Stallone first took on the role of former Green Beret John Rambo, the iconic actor has completed his final day of filming on the fifth movie in the franchise.

For the last month or so, Stallone has been shooting a new Rambo film called Last Blood, which once again features his popular John Rambo character. As of late Monday night, the actor had finished his work on the film, and took to Instagram to show his gratitude for those that have stood by him throughout the entire process.

“It’s been a long long road that has been traveled,” wrote Stallone. “Thank you for the support.”

Along with the post, Stallone shared a video from the set, where he told a brief story of how he landed the role of Rambo all those years ago. As it turns out, he wasn’t anywhere near the first choice to portray the character, but other actors saw the movie as a bad idea. Stallone saw it as a gift and now, 36 years after First Blood was released, we couldn’t imagine any one else playing the character.

“Well that was is, that was my final shot in Rambo 5: Last Blood, at least that’s what they’re calling it thus far,” Stallone says in the video. “And it’s been an amazing journey, it really has. This character was presented to me in 1980 and no one wanted to do it. As a matter of fact, I was the 11th choice. People looked at this as sort of almost a cursed project. I looked at that and said, ‘This is an amazing opportunity.’”

In Rambo 5, Stallone’s titular character goes to war with a Mexican cartel over a terrifying sex trafficking ring. You can check out the official synopsis for the film below:

“Rambo teams up with a journalist to track down and rescue a group of local girls that have been kidnapped by a Mexican sex trafficking ring, after trying to settle down to a quiet peaceful life stateside at the family ranch in Arizona after spending decades abroad.”

As previously mentioned, Last Blood is the fifth (and likely final) entry in the Rambo franchise. The first film hit theaters in 1982, followed by Rambo: First Blood Part II in 1985, Rambo III in 1988, and Rambo in 2008. Over the course of the first four movies, the Rambo franchise has earned more than $294 million at the domestic box office, and $727 million worldwide.

Adrian Grunberg is directing Rambo V: Last Blood, with a script from Matt Cirulnick and Sylvester Stallone. Kevin King Templeton and Les Weldon are producing, while Avi Lerner, Trevor Short, and Boaz Davidson are serving as executive producers.

Are you excited for Rambo 5: Last Blood? Let us know in the comments!

Rambo 5: Last Blood is slated to hit theaters in 2019.