Sylvester Stallone has wrapped filming on Rambo 5: Last Blood. Alongside Rocky, Rambo is Stallone’s most iconic role, though he was far from the first choice. First Blood was based on the 1971 novel of the same name, which followed a crazed Vietnam vet as he wages a one-man war against a small American town. The Rambo that appears in the book is a much darker character and has no issue killing those who get in his way. It took over a decade for a film adaptation to come together, with actors like Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman circling the role. The character was toned down from the book, and his only kill in the movie is an act of self-defense.

When Stallone took the character his career was in flux, as he hadn’t had a major hit outside of the Rocky movies. Stallone was far from sure First Blood would be a success either and was famously so appalled by the movie’s original 3-hour cut he wanted to buy it back from producers and destroy it. Thankfully, calmer heads prevailed, and after an extensive re-edit the movie went on to become a huge success, spawning multiple sequels, video games and even a cartoon show.

Related: Rambo 5: Spoiler Heavy Plot Details Emerge

Development on Rambo 5 has been hot and cold for a decade, with Stallone actively developing, and then exiting, the project more than once. Now the actor has finally filmed his last shot for Last Blood and posted a video to his Instagram account to mark the occasion. He also reflects on his history with the character, and how the first movie was considered a ‘cursed’ project and that he was the 11th choice.

Rambo 5: Last Blood finds the legendary soldier living a quiet life back in his hometown when a friend’s daughter is kidnapped by a vicious cartel, so he heads to Mexico to save her. This plotline has been mentioned in previous years, but it recently came to light Stallone and First Blood author David Morrell collaborated on another concept for the movie. Stallone was so passionate about this undisclosed idea that when producers rejected it, he briefly retired from the series.

Rambo 5: Last Blood is almost certainly Stallone final time playing the title character, and he wraps filming on the project shortly after announcing his emotional retirement from Rocky following Creed 2. While it will be sad to see the actor walk away from his two most famous roles, he seems intent on giving both of them the send-off they deserve.

More: Stallone Posts Final Farewell To Rocky Character

Source: Sylvester Stallone