Rambo is the latest feature film franchise making the jump to television. Fox has closed a deal with Entertainment One and Millennium Films to develop Rambo: New Blood, a TV series based on the Sylvester Stallone feature film series, TVWise has learned.
Rambo: New Blood explores the complex relationship between Rambo and his son J.R., who is a former Navy SEAL. The character of J.R. is a brand new one and has not been featured in any of the Rambo feature films. Additionally, the producers were keen to stress that Rambo himself would have a key role in the proposed series, something which is expected to ensure a sizeable audience for New Blood.
Original Rambo star Sylvester Stallone is involved with this Fox project and is attached to serve as an executive producer. At present there is no deal in place for him to reprise his role, though there is that option going forward should he choose to. Entertainment One (eOne) and Millennium Films will produce, with Jeb Stuart on-board to pen the pilot script. Avi Lerner and Jeb Stuart will also executive produce. Cary Stein will oversee the project for eOne.
Rambo becomes the latest established feature film property to (potentially) make the leap to the small screen as reboots and revivals continue to be hot this development cycle. Other such projects in the works include a Taken prequel and In The Line Of Fire at NBC; Urban Cowboy, Lethal Weapon, The Expendable and Behind Enemy Lines at Fox; Shooter at USA Network, Training Day at CBS; and The Notebook at The CW.
While Fox’s decision to put New Blood into development does come amidst this growing trend of turning feature properties, with established IP and built-in audiences, into TV shows, a Rambo series has been on the cards for more than two years, long before the networks were bitten by the revival/reboot bug. It was in August 2013 that eOne originally secured the rights to adapt Rambo for television, though at the time Stallone was far less open to reprising his iconic role in any such series.
