Sylvester Stallone is 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 after Rocky, and he’s spent the last nearly 50 years headlining memorable action movies.

This has inevitably led to him being part of some major IP. Rocky went 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 of The Expendables quadrilogy, starred in multiple Rambo movies, 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 like Cliffhanger, Demolition Man, and Tango & Cash are prime examples of that, as was Rocky before its franchization. Some could even throw Cobra into this category based on how loosely it adapts a novel.

While Rocky and Expendables have 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 with Cliffhanger. 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, Cliffhanger is the first of Sylvester Stallone’s original action movies to be remade. Hollywood has stayed away from reimagining most of his works overall, even if he’s starred in remakes like Get Carter and Oscar. Only Judge Dredd, the 1995 comic adaptation, has been rebooted previously, with Karl Urban starring in 2012’s Dredd – with Taika Waiтιтi now developing another Dredd remake.

On some level, it makes sense that Cliffhanger would be the first of Stallone’s movies that Hollywood would look to remake. It’s the 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 what Lily James has teased about her Cliffhanger movie so far.

And while Cliffhanger was 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.

If so, Cliffhanger could kickstart a greater emphasis in Hollywood on rebooting тιтles that Stallone once led. New versions of Demolition Man, Cobra, Tango & Cash, and ᴀssᴀssins could come next. Hollywood may even consider looking at a remake of Driven following the success of F1. Maybe the once-planned Bollywood Rambo remake will even move forward.

Of those тιтles, Demolition Man and Tango & Cash are the two Sylvester Stallone movies most likely to be remade after Cliffhanger. His biggest franchises, Rocky and Rambo, should never be remade, even if he finds ways to expand the IP with more sequels or prequels or spinoffs.