Sylvester Stalloneis one of Hollywood’s biggest action stars over the last several decades, and he remains an incredibly active figure in the industry in front of and behind the camera. The Italian actor rose to stardom afterRocky, and he’s spent the last nearly 50 years headliningmemorable action movies.
This has inevitably led to him being part of some major IP.Rockywent from a single Oscar-winning movie to a six film franchise that has since produced three Michael B. Jordan-led spinoffs, two of which Stallone returned for. He’s also been at the forefront ofThe Expendablesquadrilogy, starred in multipleRambomovies, and joined two different superhero cinematic universes.
As great as his franchise/IP films can be,there’s a large part of Stallone’s filmography that also saw him at the center of original, successful action movies. Movies likeCliffhanger,Demolition Man, andTango & Cashare prime examples of that, as wasRockybefore its franchization. Some could even throwCobrainto this category based on how loosely it adapts a novel.
WhileRockyandExpendableshave moved on without him, Stallone is still in the business of trying to launch franchises or make original action movies. Hollywood hasn’t forgotten everything he accomplished previously, though, leading to a new era of projects connected to the legendary actor.
Cliffhanger Is The First Sylvester Stallone Movie To Get A Remake
But It Won’t Be The Last
The industry is finally turning to Sylvester Stallone’s filmography to find action movies they can remake for modern audiences, and it’s all starting withCliffhanger.The original 1993 action movie was a huge success, making $255 million worldwide, but sequel plans for Stallone to return never materialized.
Instead of trying to bring the 79-year-old actor back as Gabe Walker after more than two decades,a remake is in the works directed by Jaume Collet-Serra that stars Lily James and Pierce Brosnan. The movie has already completed production and is currently in post-production. A release date is not confirmed, but it should arrive by next year at the latest.
Surprisingly,Cliffhangeris the first of Sylvester Stallone’s original action movies to be remade.Hollywood has stayed away from reimagining most of his worksoverall, even if he’s starred in remakes likeGet CarterandOscar. OnlyJudge Dredd, the 1995 comic adaptation, has been rebooted previously, with Karl Urban starring in 2012’sDredd- withTaika Waititi now developing anotherDreddremake.
On some level, it makes sense thatCliffhangerwould be the first of Stallone’s movies that Hollywood would look to remake. It’sthe biggest hit of his career that is not part of a franchise, and he has no creative oversight, it seems. There’s a simple premise here that a remake can take and make new, which is whatLily James has teased about herCliffhangermovieso far.
And whileCliffhangerwas a hit in 1993, the film is not necessarily an all-time classic that could make audiences reject any remake attempt. It’s primed for a new version and a new lead. It sounds like Lily James really took the challenge to heart to make a film that could live up to Stallone’s original, so hopefully she delivers.
Cliffhangercould kickstart a greater emphasis in Hollywood on rebooting titles that Stallone once led
If so,Cliffhangercould kickstart a greater emphasis in Hollywood on rebooting titles that Stallone once led.New versions ofDemolition Man,Cobra,Tango & Cash, andAssassinscould comenext. Hollywood may even consider looking at a remake ofDrivenfollowing the success ofF1. Maybe the once-plannedBollywoodRamboremakewill even move forward.
Of those titles,Demolition ManandTango & Cashare the two Sylvester Stallone movies most likely to be remade afterCliffhanger. His biggest franchises,RockyandRambo, should never be remade, even if he finds ways to expand the IP with more sequels or prequels or spinoffs.
