To give you an indication how impressive it is that Sylvester Stallone is not only in incredible physical condition for a man of his age but willing to continue starring in projects where he’s taking part in dangerous stunts and intricately choreographed fight scenes, the actor was born in the same year as Eugene Levy, Charles Dance and Tim Curry, three names you definitely couldn’t picture headlining an action movie.
Having scored an Academy Award nomination for his performance in Creed, nobody would have judged the 74 year-old if he’d segued into more dramatic territory, but instead, he’s jumped straight back into the blockbuster business. As well as reprising his other signature role in Rambo: Last Blood and boarding James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, Sly will next be seen in gritty superhero thriller Samaritan.
Overlord director Julius Avery helms the story of a crimefighter who vanished after a legendary battle over 20 years previously, only to be discovered by a young kid who tries to lure him back out of hiding, and presumably something will happen to force Stallone’s Stanley Kominski out of his self-imposed exile to save the day.
In a recent interview, Avery explained what made his leading man the ideal candidate to star in the subversive tale, and unsurprisingly, a lot of it has to do with his decades of experience as an action hero and the baggage that comes with it.
“We didn’t really have superheroes. We only had action heroes. And Sly was the closest thing we had to a superhero. So to put him in a superhero movie? That feels fresh and cool and something that people will get a kick out of.”
The first official image from Samaritan was released a couple of days ago, and with the movie scheduled for a premiere in June, we shouldn’t be too far away from seeing a trailer. Of course, it might be a bit early to judge it just yet, but based on the premise alone, it could be an intriguing new spin on a well-worn genre.