What happens to superheroes when they’re past their prime? Action legend Sylvester Stallone showcases what it’s like to live a life of anonymous retirement.
This might not often come to mind, but superheroes do get old. In this new movie, led by action film legend Sylvester Stallone, viewers get to see what exactly happens to superheroes as they age. Premiering this August 26 on Amazon Prime Video, Samaritan follows the life of Granite City’s super-powered vigilante who was once reported to have died twenty-five years ago in a battle with his rival, Nemesis.
Best known for Escape Room in 2019 and Seasons of the Witch in 2011, Samaritan is the brainchild of the renowned screenwriter Bragi Schut. The story was conceptualized about 10 years ago and instead of a screenplay, it was first adapted into a series of graphic novels for Mythos Comics, which was first published in 2014. Samaritan comes with an atypical setting for a genre hero who arrives in a crime-ridden city and helps take on the bad guys – ‘cleaning things up’ as they put it.
What is Sylvester Stallone’s New Movie About?
Samaritan is told from a thirteen-year-old boy’s point of view. While most people believed that Samaritan perished in the fire several years ago, Sam Cleary (Javon Walton) has long suspected that his mysterious and reclusive neighbor who works as a garbage man, Mr. Smith (Sylvester Stallone), is the actual legend that is hiding in plain sight.
As a kid, Sam has always been fascinated with drawing and daydreaming. He lives with his mom, who’s been trying to meet all ends and save money for them to move somewhere safer as crimes and chaos begin to rise once again in the city. Having been subjected to bullying and being rescued by Mr. Smith, Sam became more curious about the old man’s life. He then made it a mission to coax his neighbor out of hiding to help save the city from further disaster. The rest of the trailer showcases Stallone running around and fighting the bad guys, including Pilou Asbæk (portrayed by Euron Greyjoy of Game of Thrones).
At 76, Stallone seems to be most fitting for the role, judging from the official trailer, the elements that come along, as well as the illustrious career depicted in the story. Coming from highly-acclaimed roles in films such as Rambo and Rocky, it can also be expected that this movie will come with a lot of drama and heartwarming scenes.
Despite his age, Stallone remains in the industry with roles that continue to involve his incredibility in the craft. He will be reprising his role as Barney Ross in Expendables 4, which is slated to be released next year. He is also starring in the dystopian future movie, Little America, where America has become bankrupt and turned into a massive warzone, and Paramount’s new series, Tulsa King, which is projected to start this November. Samaritan is not Stallone’s first portrayal of a superhero. It can be remembered that he was the law enforcement and judicial officer, Judge Dredd, of the dystopian future city of Mega-City One. Recently, he was tasked to voice King Shark in The Suicide Squad and portrayed Stakar Ogord (better known as Starhawk) in the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 – which he will be reprising in Volume 3 scheduled for release this 2023.
Samaritan is spearheaded by Julius Avery – a much-awaited comeback after the release of Overlord. This original tale from Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures and Amazon Studios will also star Dascha Polanco (DC League of Super-Pets) and Moises Arias (City of Ghosts). The film is produced by Stallone himself alongside Braden Aftergood of Nobody. Scriptwriter Bragi Schut, Davide Kern of Candyman, Adam Rosenberg of Creed II, and Guy Riedel of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum also serve as the film’s executive producers.
The film production of Samaritan began in early 2020 but was put to a halt because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Such a delay also caused the postponement of the release until Amazon Studios – which was reported to have acquired MGM for $8 billion in May of last year – announced that the film would instead be streamed this August.Excited to see Sylvester Stallone flex his action moves once again? Don’t forget to catch Samaritan this coming August 26 on Amazon Prime Video. For other film and series updates, keep posted here.
Cover image credit: officialslystallone
