Sylvester Stallone has a new franchise with Samaritan getting a sequel, but the timing of this decision confirms the sad state his career is in after the last several years. The action star has a long history of being part of major franchises, as roles like Rocky Balbo and John Rambo provided him with multiple sequel and franchise opportunities early on in his career. The roles that these movies played in making Sylvester Stallone one of Hollywood’s biggest stars meant he’s always kept an eye on being part of franchises, whether that meant creating new ones or returning to familiar roles to reinvent them.
The latest part of Sylvester Stallone’s franchise plans includes his first leading role in a superhero property. While he has had roles with Marvel and DC before, and even headlined the Judge Dredd comic book movie in 1995, Samaritan was the actor’s attempt to bring his talents to a grounded superhero story in the lead role. The 2022 movie might not have been a hit with critics, but that did not stop Prime Video from announcing plans for Samaritan 2 with Sylvester Stallone returning. There are not a ton of details available about the sequel, but its development is all the more noteworthy given Stallone’s recent franchise roles.
Samaritan 2 Is Only Happening After Sylvester Stallone Left Creed & Expendables
The Prime Video’s Samaritan sequel is happening only because Sylvester Stallone left his other big projects. The action star recently starred in highly-anticipated projects like Creed, the Rocky spin-off starring Michael B. Jordan, and The Expendables franchise, which brought together all the big names of the ’80s action movie stars. Despite the success both franchises got, Stallone is no longer part of either franchise. He appeared in the first two Creed movies, but he didn’t return for Creed III. Meanwhile, Stallone’s small The Expendables 4 role is billed as his exit from the series, leaving him out of all the major franchises.
This is why the timing of Samaritan 2’s announcement cannot be a coincidence. Stallone is clearly looking for a new franchise that he can still be the lead of. His exit from The Expendables is believed to be somewhat connected to his age and a preference not to do as many physically demanding action roles as he nears 80 years old. While he could still play Rocky Balboa with relative ease, the Creed franchise has completely shifted its focus to Michael B. Jordan’s Adonis Creed. Not having either of the Rocky/Creed or The Expendables franchises to lean back on likely made Samaritan 2 a bigger priority for Stallone.
Sylvester Stallone Has Burned Through His Biggest Franchise Roles Now
Sylvester Stallone leaving Creed and The Expendables continues a recent career trend, which makes Samaritan 2 more important for him, as he has exited all of his biggest franchises. Rambo was one of the most defining roles of his career, which Stallone reprised several times over several decades, including as recently as 2019. However, the actor doesn’t appear interested in doing that again. Stallone even joked that Rambo 6 could see him fighting arthritis instead of a typical villain (via JoBlo). He’s also wrapped up the Escape Plan trilogy in recent years, leaving him without some of his biggest roles to fall back on.
Given his involvement in big franchises throughout his acting years, Stallone’s career seems to be at a turning point, with him burning through all his major roles. While he might have plans for a Rocky prequel, he would not star in the proposed project. Even his roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Stakar Ogord/Starhawk and King Shark in The Suicide Squad are unlikely to produce returns at this point. This has left him to find new potential franchises to be part of, such as Samaritan 2. Stallone is also meant to return for Cliffhanger 2, which is currently in pre-production, but it’s unclear whether it will actually happen.
Samaritan 2 Can’t Make The Same Mistake As Recent Sylvester Stallone Sequels
Sylvester Stallone coming back as Joe in Samaritan 2 means it needs to learn from the mistakes in his recent sequels in order to work. Stallone is first and foremost an action star, which comes in handy in a superhero film. However, the first movie’s action sequences fell short and felt bland, making it a disappointing experience for anyone wanting Stallone superhero fight scenes. In order to avoid the same mistakes from the rest of Stallone’s recent sequels, the Samaritan sequel should focus on giving him well-developed action scenes, as well as a prominent role instead of sidelining him like The Expendables 4.