Sylvester Stallone just can't stop going back to the well of his iconic '80s characters. Rocky Balboa pops up to offer sage advice in the Creed films, John Rambo just can't stop helping people through the application of massive violence and, talking at a Q&A in his honour at Cannes, Stallone let slip that he's looking to turn 1986 cop thriller Cobra into a streaming TV series.
Cobra, adapted by Stallone himself from Paula Gosling's novel, the film found Sly as Marion Cobretti (the name alone likely wouldn't fly today for fear of utter mockery), a cop who puts the "tough" into "tough on crime". He's got to protect the only surviving witness to a strange murderous cult's activities.
Asked by an audience member at the event to address the legacy of the movie, Stallone opened up. “That [conceit] was, 'what if Bruce Springsteen had a gun?' That was rock n’ roll meets drama. That should have been another franchise because that character was so cool," he says. "And I blew it. My personal life got in the way. But we’re trying to bring it back as a streaming TV series. Bring out the zombie squad. I’m long gone, but the idea is really good." The character may not appear, but his motivation and a team operating in his style would surely be a fascinating concept to explore in a world where police brutality is under the microscope and violent crime is on the rise again.
Stallone offered no other details (so clearly no deals have been hatched yet), but we'll wait and see if someone snaps this up. For more from Sly, head to Deadline. And if you've never seen Cobra (or need a refresher), see the trailer below.
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