Kirk Douglas nearly played Trautman in First Blood, but he quit the Rambo movie when his bizarre alternate ending pitch was rejected. The character of John Rambo became one of Sylvester Stallone's most iconic, but he was far from the first choice. The adaptation of David Morrell's 1972 novel First Blood spent many years in development hell, where stars such as Al Pacino, Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman were considered for the role. Stallone eventually signed on, though he suggested toning down the darkness and violence of the book and making Rambo a more sympathetic figure.

First Blood was a relatively grounded action thriller, though Stallone would later make Rambo larger than life for its first two sequels. Rambo even received an '80s cartoon series, which Stallone was less than pleased about. One of the key relationships in the Rambo series is between the titular character and his mentor Colonel Sam Trautman, played by the late Richard Crenna. Trautman trained Rambo and made him into the soldier he is and Trautman manages to talk him down in First Blood's ending. Trautman later recruits him for a mission in Rambo: First Blood Part II and John launches a personal rescue mission to save his friend in Rambo III.

Related: Recasting Rambo For A Movie Reboot: Who Should Replace Stallone?

Fans of First Blood will probably recall that Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas was originally cast as Col. Trautman, but he departed the production just as filming commenced on the action thriller. First Blood (which Tarantino has spoken of remaking) director Ted Kotcheff later revealed that Douglas was constantly requesting script changes and wanting to steal lines from other actors that sounded good. After months of attempting to appease his requests and meeting with little success, the production gave Douglas an ultimatum to stick with the original script or leave - so he left. In a 2014 chat with Empire, Stallone detailed Kirk Douglas' bizarre alternate ending to First Blood, and its rejection appeared to play a big role in his departure.

first blood 1982 teaser poster kirk douglas

For First Blood's ending, Stallone stated that Kirk Douglas' alternate ending idea was that Trautman would kill Rambo, as the character had done in the novel. The final shot of the movie would then be a cop car driving away into the fog, with Stallone recounting of Douglas' pitch that "...a hand reaches up in the rearview mirror. The camera turns up and we see me. Then it turns a bit higher and I am wearing your headband." The implication being that Trautman had become possessed somewhat by Rambo's spirit after killing him, and may even be headed down the same self-destructive path as his former soldier.

Kirk Douglas quit the film shortly after his First Blood alternate ending pitch and his other requests were rejected, though it appears there were no lingering ill feelings. Douglas and Stallone later appeared together in the 1991 comedy Oscar (which Stallone regretted making) and the latter paid tribute to Douglas following his passing in 2020. Despite being cast at the last moment, Richard Crenna proved to be perfect in the role, so it all worked out in the movie's favor.

Next: The First Actor To Play Rambo Onscreen (Not Sylvester Stallone)