Tiger Shroff has been finalised for the Indian remake of Hollywood action hit Rambo, which starred action icon Sylvester Stallone as the renegade, traumatised former soldier. The remake will be directed by Siddharth Anand and co-produced by M! Capital Ventures, Original Entertainment, Impact Films and Siddharth Anand Pictures, said reports.
Tiger said, “Being a martial artist and a huge action movie buff since childhood, this all seems very surreal, and I’m very grateful for this opportunity. By no means do I believe I can replace the legendary Sylvester Stallone; however, I do feel that somehow this is something I’ve been preparing for since childhood.”
Actors like Hrithik Roshan and Sidharth Malhotra were in consideration for the role before Tiger won the part. Principal photography for the film is slated to start in February next year, with a release targeted for late 2018.
Anand, who has experience with remakes from his work on Bang Bang! – an Indian remake of Tom Cruise’s Knight and Day – said, “Rambo is one of the most iconic action blockbuster films from my generation. I grew up looking up to heroes such as Stallone, and in a time where the Indian industry is lacking action characters of Rambo’s calibr, this is a perfect time to introduce Tiger in this role.”
The announcement comes on the heels of Stallone launching another film in the series himself.
“Executives at German movie company Splendid Films have confirmed that Stallone has started work on a fifth Rambo movie,” reported a portal. A press release suggests that the action star is writing the screenplay and will star as the eponymous character for the fifth time.
The statement read: “With Rambo V, Sylvester Stallone returns in his iconic role. This time he goes up against a Mexican cartel. Stallone… describes the new Rambo as his version of No Country for Old Men.”
The franchise kicked off in 1982 with First Blood, which minted over USD125 million worldwide. It was followed by a number of successful remakes, including the most recent Rambo in 2008, which earned USD113 million globally, the report noted.
The Indian remake will follow the life of the last surviving member of an elite covert unit of the Indian Armed Forces who returns home to discover a war waging in his own land.
Tiger, the son of actor Jackie Shroff and a martial arts expert, entered Bollywood in 2014 with Heropanti, and followed up his act with films like Baaghi and A Flying Jatt. He is also working on projects like Munna Michael and Baaghi 2.