Originally published on Set The Tape
Rambo: Last Blood sees Sylvester Stallone reprising one of his most iconic roles: that of the Vietnam War veteran John Rambo. This isn’t the first time that he’s brought an older character back, however, having previously returned to the screen as Rocky Balboa in the Creed movies. With these returns proving popular with fans we’ve taken a look to see if there are any other older films that could get a sequel decades later.
Commando (1985)
Commando is easily one of Arnie’s best movies. It’s fun, full of action, and hugely re-watchable. Here Arnold plays a retired special forces soldier, John Matrix, who has to come out of retirement to rescue his kidnapped daughter from a former South American dictator. The action that follows is one of the best revenge stories around.
More than 30 years later, could this work again? Yes. It definitely could. Have Arnold play Matrix once again, this time having to come out of retirement to help his daughter rescue her own child. You could even have Alyssa Milano reprise her role as his daughter Jenny. There are a whole wealth of areas that this film could explore, you could have the bad guys be somehow connected to Matrix’s past, or just completely unconnected. Plus, if it goes well you could even go for a John Rambo vs John Matrix crossover too.
Waterworld (1995)
Okay, I know this is considered one of the biggest movie failures of all time, but I think that there’s a lot in this universe that can still be tapped. Add into that the fact that the film has taken on an almost cult status with people (largely in thanks to how it is that bad that it’s kind of fun) and there could be a decent sized audience.
With global warming being such a big issue now a film that focuses a little on the devastating affects of climate change might be a good thing. Instead of being as kooky and weird as the original, a sequel could take on a more serious tone, looking at how humanity has been struggling to survive. Thanks to how small a focus the original film had the narrative could easily shift to focus on completely new characters and places if they can’t get Kevin Costner to return.
Demolition Man (1993)
Another Stallone film that would be great to see come back. In the original Demolition Man Stallone played a cop out of time in a future that doesn’t need a grizzled action hero. Why not return to this peaceful and idyllic future to see how John Spartan got on once he’d beaten his arch foe. Does he get used to this new world, or is he still a fish out of water?
With the first film having already set up the idea that dangerous criminals have been cryogenically frozen, it would be easy to bring some new threats into this future. Stallone could be eager to come out of retirement in order to fight this threat. This threat could be similar to the first film, a criminal or group of criminals that come out of prison without having been subject to the subliminal rehab, or it could be past criminals whose rehab starts to degrade, bringing out their former criminal tendencies. It could also be fun to see the return of other actors in the franchise such as Sandra Bullock, and Billy Cobbs.
Flash Gordon (1980)
Everyone loves a bit of Flash Gordon, whether it’s the cheesy action, the brightly coloured sets, or the kick arse soundtrack, there’s something about Flash Gordon that’s a little bit special. The fact that the film has been celebrated on multiple different anniversaries and given special re-releases means that there’s a huge audience for it, even close to 40 years later.
There have been attempts to reboot Flash Gordon more than once, with none of them really gaining the recognition or love that the 1980 version did. So instead of trying to revamp the film, just make a sequel instead. Let’s have Flash, still played by Sam Jones, being called back to Mongo to help stop a returned Ming. With so many of the cast still around you could have Max von Sydow reprise the role, or have Ming return in a younger, newer body. Timothy Dalton and Brian Blessed could return too. Instead of trying to make a more ‘realistic’ updated Flash Gordon, return to the world of the old one, embrace the over the top 80’s aesthetic and be cheesy as hell.
Lethal Weapon (1987)
It’s been a long time since the last Lethal Weapon film came out – more than 20 years – so I’d be interested in seeing how Riggs, Murtaugh, and the rest of the gang, are doing. Did Murtaugh finally get to retire? Part of the fun of the Lethal Weapon films is the family bond that built between the two lead characters over the years. Having gone from unwilling partners to friends, and eventually like brothers, their relationship was one of the highlights. How would that friendship continue on? Would Riggs have retired too, or is he having to work with a new partner? Does Riggs have to deal with new issues now that his son is a young man? All of these things would be loads of fun to see regardless of whatever the big bad they’d have to go up against would be.
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