Sylvester Stallone wanted to essay young Rambo with help of AI: Everyone thought I was crazy

Veteran action star Sylvester Stallone said everyone thought he was crazy when he expressed his wish to portray a younger version of his iconic character John Rambo with the help of artificial intelligence.

Stallone essayed the role for the first time in "First Blood", which released in 1982. The actor went on to feature in all the upcoming installments of the franchise, including "Rambo: First Blood Part II" (1985), "Rambo III" (1988), and "Rambo" (2008). The last film of the franchise, titled "Rambo: Last Blood", released in 2019.

The 79-year-old actor said he wanted to partake in a prequel project that would feature an 18-year-old Rambo, with the use of de-aging AI technology.

"Everyone thought I was crazy...AI is sophisticated enough to go through Saigon to see him at 18 years old and basically use the same image. So it isn't as big a stretch," he said at The Playlist's Bingeworthy podcast.

A prequel film for the film series is currently in works and will feature "To All The Boys I've Loved Before" actor Noah Centineo in the lead role.

Jalmari Helander, the director of films such as "Sisu" and "Big Game", will helm the project. The screenplay will be penned by Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani.

The movie, titled "John Rambo", hails from production banner Millennium Media.

While the film's plot is not revealed, the origin story of young Rambo will be set during the Vietnam War. It is expected to commence production in Thailand in 2026.

"John Rambo" will be produced by Kevin King-Templeton on behalf of Templeton Media, Les Weldon, Jonathan Yunger and Avi Lerner. Executive producers include Trevor Short and Bonfire Legends' Dallas Sonnier and Amanda Presmyk.