Sylvester Stallone shares an intense workout video of him training for Rambo 5. While John Rambo has become one of Stallone’s most iconic characters, the original movie had something of a troubled production. First Blood courted actors such as Al Pacino and James Garner before Stallone came on board, with Kirk Douglas – who has been cast as Rambo ally Colonel Trautman – pulling out of the movie at the last moment over script disagreements.

Legend has it Stallone was so sickened by how bad the first cut of the movie was that he tried to buy it back from producers so he could destroy it, but his offer was rejected. Following this screening, Stallone suggested cutting Rambo’s dialogue to almost nothing so other characters could tell the story, which improved the movie dramatically. The movie proved to be a hit, with 1985’s sequel, Rambo: First Blood Part II, making the character an action icon. Rambo III proved to be a misstep, but Stallone revived the character for 2008’s Rambo, which many feel redeemed the series.

Related: Sylvester Stallone Teases Rambo 5 Filming Soon

Rambo 5 has been teased many times in the last decade, with the project being announced and then cancelled more than once. Now, it finally looks set to start filming soon, with the story taking Rambo to Mexico to rescue a group of girls kidnapped by a sex trafficking ring. Stallone has been getting back into shape for the role and has shared a new video to his Instagram account where he works out to a certain classic rock song.

Stallone became famous for his gruelling workouts to get into shape for Rambo in the 1980s, and, at 72, he’s showing no signs of slacking off when it comes to the physical requirement of the role. He shared another video recently where he trained with a tire. So, while Rambo 5 will likely be the last outing with Stallone playing the character, he clearly wants to end on a strong note.

While the storyline for Rambo 5 sounds quite grounded and serious, one early concept Stallone pitched had Rambo being tasked by the government to track down a feral monster they created in a lab. Rambo would have led a group of mercenaries after this creature, with the story coming from a book called Hunter, which Stallone has long held the rights to. This story would have taken the series in a whole new direction, but a swift online backlash to the premise saw the actor go back to the drawing board - and it seems he finally has what he wants to move forward.

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Source: Sylvester Stallone