The October 20, 2006 issue of Entertainment Weekly features and article titled, “They’re Back, Baby” by Tim Stack. Stack looks at six movie franchises that are set to return to the big screen: “Jurassic Park IV,” “Indiana Jones 4,” “Terminator 4,” “Live Free or Die Hard,” and “Rocky Balboa” / “Rambo IV.”
Here’s what’s said about Sly’s movies:
ROCKY BALBOA / RAMBO IV
Franchise Gross to Date: $488 million [Rocky] / $250 million [Rambo]
After failed attempts at establishing street cred [Cop Land, Get Carter], Stallone has fallen back on his two most iconic characters. Rocky Balboa [Dec. 22], the sixth entry, finds the now-widowed boxer returning to the ring despite being old enough to be his competitor’s grandfather. “I started writing it about three years ago,” Stallone told EW this summer. “The people at MGM at that time were not interested on any level.” Stallone’s persistence also paid off with the next Rambo adventure. That one is set to begin shooting in January in Thailand, a country which has seen its share of drama in recent months. Hanging out in a spot that just had a military coup? Rambo wouldn’t have it any other way.