Written by on Sep 10, 2014. Posted in On Location

Sylvester Stallone to return to Louisiana to film new Rambo movie

Actor and filmmaker Sylvester Stallone is set to return to Louisiana to film the fifth movie in his Rambo action franchise. It will be the first entry to shoot in the state, although Stallone himself has worked there extensively on the Expendables franchise and other action films.

Rambo movie First Blood helped establish Stallone’s action credentials in 1982 and the actor resurrected the franchise with Rambo in 2008, after a 20-year gap.

Louisiana continues to be one of the top filming hubs in the US due to its generous 30% uncapped incentive, world-class studios and flexible locations that routinely double for all parts of the country.

Sci-fi sequel Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was drawn to New Orleans partly by the filming incentive and doubled the city for its San Francisco setting. Dinosaur sequel Jurassic World and Terminator: Genisys have both been recent high-profile visitors, while high-profile TV drama NCIS: New Orleans has the potential to become a long-term resident.

Producer Dean Devlin’s upcoming feature Geostorm is also listed as being in pre-production in the state. Devlin is usually based in Oregon but had to relocate his new film to Louisiana to make it economically viable.

California will be boosting its filming incentive from next year. This has raised questions in the US production community about whether states like Louisiana, New York and Georgia are in a strong enough position to adapt to fresh competition from Los Angeles and San Francisco. Louisiana remains confident for the moment, but the balance of preference could shift from 2015.