Editing First Blood (section)

== Production ==
=== Development ===
{{Quote box |align=right |quoted=true |salign=center |width=20em |The original Rambo was so bloodthirsty... the story was so hard, so terrifying every step of the way. (I think that's one reason the book took so long to get done). What I did with Rambo was try to keep one foot in the Establishment and one foot in the outlaw or frontier image. I wanted him to be accepted by the mainstream—but also be a criminal. So he has some strong patriotic views—and he loves the system. He just doesn't like a lot of the people who live and work in it.|source=Sylvester Stallone, 1985<ref name=":0" />}}

In 1972, [[Lawrence Turman]] at [[Columbia Pictures]] bought the film rights to ''First Blood'' for $175,000. [[Richard Brooks]] was slated to direct, and intended to have the film be an allegory on differing American perceptions of [[World War II]] and [[Vietnam veteran|Vietnam War veterans]], with Sheriff Teasle portrayed more sympathetically than in the novel. The film would have ended with Teasle ordering his men to drop their guns to try to reason with Rambo, who would have then been fatally shot by an unknown assailant. Brooks planned to start shooting ''First Blood'' in New Mexico in December 1972.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=First Blood|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/56779|access-date=June 17, 2021|website=catalog.afi.com}}</ref> The film did not proceed because the Vietnam War was still underway and Brooks left the project.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}

Afterward, [[John Calley]] purchased the rights at [[Warner Bros. Pictures]] for $125,000 with the thought of casting either [[Robert De Niro]] or [[Clint Eastwood]] as Rambo. A screenplay was written by [[Walter Newman (screenwriter)|Walter Newman]] with [[Martin Ritt]] intended to direct. The film would have criticized American military culture and portrayed Colonel Trautman as the film's villain, ending with both Rambo and Teasle dying. [[Sydney Pollack]] and [[Martin Bregman]] also considered directing the film, with Bregman hiring [[David Rabe]] to write a script. After Bregman departed [[Mike Nichols]] considered directing Rabe's script.

William Sackheim and Michael Kozoll wrote the screenplay that would be the basis of the final film in 1977, originally intending for [[John Badham]] to direct. Producer [[Carter DeHaven]] purchased Sackheim and Kozoll's script from Warner Bros. for $375,000. DeHaven secured the Cinema Group as a financer and hired [[John Frankenheimer]] as director with production to begin in [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]. This was also the first version of the script in which Rambo survived the film. However, the project stalled again after the distributor [[Filmways]] was acquired by [[Orion Pictures]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Broeske|first=Pat H.|date=November 25, 1985|title=The Curious Evolution of John Rambo: How He Hacked His Way Through the Jungles of Hollywood|page=AB32|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|publication-place=Los Angeles}}</ref>

After [[Mario Kassar]] and [[Andrew G. Vajna]] of Anabasis Investments read the book, they got interested in doing an adaptation as the first production of their studio [[Carolco Pictures]] funded by "in-house sources". They purchased the film rights from Warner Bros. for $375,000 and Sackheim and Kozoll's script for $125,000 in 1981.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/05/carolco-pictures-mario-kassar-cannes-interview-foxtrot-six-audition-1201752739/|title=Deadline Disruptors: King Of Cannes Mario Kassar On The Glory Days Of Carolco, Why Buying Arnie A Plane Made Sense & Talking Vaginas|first=Ali|last=Jaafar|publisher=Deadline|date=May 12, 2016|access-date=December 31, 2021}}</ref> [[Ted Kotcheff]], who had been involved in the project in 1976, returned after Kassar and Vajna offered to finance one of his projects. Kotcheff offered the role of John Rambo to Sylvester Stallone, and the actor accepted after reading the script through in a day.<ref name="drawing">{{cite video|title=Drawing First Blood|location=''First Blood'' DVD|year=2002|publisher=Artisan}}</ref>

Various scripts adapted from Morrell's book had been pitched to studios in the years since its publication, but only Stallone's involvement prompted its production. The time since the end of the Vietnam War and Stallone's star power after the success of the [[Rocky (film series)|''Rocky'' films]] enabled him to rewrite the script to make the character of John Rambo more sympathetic. Morrell's book has Rambo kill many of his pursuers, and Kozoll and Sackheim's draft had him killing sixteen people, but in the movie Rambo does not directly cause the death of any police or national guardsmen. Stallone also decided to let Rambo survive the film, unlike in the book. A suicide scene was filmed but Kotcheff and Stallone opted to have Rambo turn himself in at Trautman's urging.<ref name="drawing" /> Stallone did an estimated seven revisions of the script. Kotcheff requested further work be done on the script, which was performed by [[Larry Gross]] and [[David Giler]].

=== Casting ===
Brooks originally wanted to cast [[Bette Davis]] as a psychiatrist and either [[Burt Lancaster]] or [[Lee Marvin]] as Sheriff Teasle. When the project was purchased by Warner Bros., [[Robert De Niro]] and [[Clint Eastwood]] were each considered for the role of Rambo.<ref name="prime">{{cite web|url=https://primemovies.pl/2022/07/28/aktorzy-ktorzy-mieli-zagrac-rambo/|title=Ten actors that almost portrayed John Rambo on screen|work=Prime Movies|date=July 28, 2022|access-date=July 29, 2022}}</ref> Ritt intended to cast [[Robert Mitchum]] as Teasle and [[Paul Newman]] as Rambo. Pollack considered [[Steve McQueen]] but then rejected him because they considered him too old to play a Vietnam veteran from 1975.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yuddy.com/celebrity/steve-mcqueen/bio|title=Steve Mcqueen Bio|publisher=Yuddy.com|access-date=July 18, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100718224247/http://www.yuddy.com/celebrity/steve-mcqueen/bio|archive-date=July 18, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[James Caan]], [[Burt Reynolds]] and [[Robert Redford]] were also considered.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/evening-sylvester-stallone-quotes/|title=Sylvester Stallone: In his own words|date=January 14, 2014}}</ref>

Rabe developed his screenplay with [[Al Pacino]] in mind for the role and had several conversations with the actor, who wanted to portray Rambo as a force of nature after seeing the film ''[[Jaws (film)|Jaws]]''. However, Pacino decided not to be involved because he found the story too dark and also after his request that Rambo be a lunatic was dismissed by the producers.<ref name="prime"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/rambo-first-blood-al-pacino-casting-change/|title=4 Ways First Blood Would've Been Different if al Pacino Was Rambo|website=[[Screen Rant]]|date=June 3, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.univision.com/entretenimiento/cine-y-series/rambo-y-otros-7-papeles-que-casi-interpreto-al-pacino | title=Rambo y otros 7 papeles que casi interpretó al Pacino }}</ref> When Badham was considered as director he wanted to cast [[John Travolta]] as Rambo, [[George C. Scott]] as Trautman, and either [[Gene Hackman]] or [[Charles Durning]] as Teasle. Frankenheimer considered [[Powers Boothe]], [[Michael Douglas]], and [[Nick Nolte]] as Rambo before casting [[Brad Davis (actor)|Brad Davis]] because of his role in ''[[Midnight Express (film)|Midnight Express]]''.<ref name=":0" /> [[Dustin Hoffman]] was offered the role of Rambo but turned it down.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a98636/hoffman-i-turned-down-rambo/|title=Hoffman: I turned down 'Rambo'|website=[[Digital Spy]]|date=June 9, 2008}}</ref>

For the role of Sheriff Teasle, Kassar and Vajna approached [[Academy Award]] winners Hackman and [[Robert Duvall]] but both turned the part down. Marvin, another Oscar winner, turned down the part of Colonel Trautman. [[James Mason]] and [[Richard Jaeckel]] were also considered. [[Kirk Douglas]] was eventually hired. Douglas wrote in his autobiography that he initially rejected the script but agreed after Kotcheff changed it to retain the novel's original ending.  When the ending was changed back to Stallone's version, he left the project.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Harmetz |first=Aljean |date=January 27, 1982 |title=NEWS OF HOLLYWOOD; M-G-M TO FINISH NATALIE WOOD FILM |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/01/27/movies/news-of-hollywood-m-g-m-to-finish-natalie-wood-film.html |access-date=June 17, 2021 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>  He wrote, "''I thought it would be better, dramatically, if my character realized what a Frankenstein monster, amoral killer, and menace to society he has created and kills Stallone. If they'd listened to me, there would have been no Rambos. They would have lost a billion dollars..''."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Douglas |first=Kirk |title=The ragman's Son |publisher=Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Schuster Inc. |year=1988 |isbn=0671637185 |edition=1st Pocket Books printing 1989 |location=New York |pages=417 - 418 |language=English}}</ref> [[Rock Hudson]] was approached as a replacement but was soon to undergo heart surgery and had to pass up the chance to work with Stallone. Richard Crenna was quickly hired as a replacement; the role of Trautman became the veteran character actor's most famous role, a performance for which he received much critical praise.<ref name="drawing" />

=== Filming ===
[[File:Hope, BC - Bridge used in movie First Blood.JPG|thumb|The bridge in Hope, BC used during production]]
The film was shot in the [[Fraser Valley]] of British Columbia on a $15 million budget beginning on November 15, 1981, and continuing until April 1982.<ref name=drawing/><ref name=":1" /> The town scenes in the movie were shot in [[Hope, British Columbia|Hope]] and the nearby [[Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park]], called Chapman Gorge in the film,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://homepages.ulb.ac.be/~rgeerts/scenarioschrijven/1hope.html|title=Filming locations of First Blood in Hope, BC, Canada|access-date=July 18, 2010|archive-date=July 11, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070711184147/http://homepages.ulb.ac.be/~rgeerts/scenarioschrijven/1hope.html|url-status=live}}</ref> while the rest of the movie was shot in [[Capilano Canyon]], [[Golden Ears Provincial Park]] and [[Pitt Lake]] in [[Pitt Meadows]]. During the production [[Buzz Feitshans]] replaced producer Ed Carlin, who suffered a [[Myocardial infarction|heart attack]].<ref name=":1" />

The locations chosen for the film initially experienced unseasonably warm and sunny weather during the filming, which posed challenges since the crew had counted on an [[overcast]] setting. However, a period of heavy snowfall beginning in January 1982 delayed the production by two months. Other delays were caused by injuries to the cast during stunts, including Stallone sustaining a serious back injury and several broken ribs, in particular, due to performing his own stunt of dropping off a cliff and into a tree.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Super dangerous movies|url=https://www.daily-choices.com/the-most-dangerous-and-horrific-stunts-ever-performed-on-sets/2?xcmg=1|access-date=June 17, 2021|publisher=CBS News|language=en-US|archive-date=June 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210626111008/https://www.daily-choices.com/the-most-dangerous-and-horrific-stunts-ever-performed-on-sets/2?xcmg=1|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=The Most Dangerous and Horrific Stunts Ever Performed on Sets|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/some-of-the-most-dangerous-movies-ever/|access-date=June 26, 2021|website=daily-choses.com|date=April 15, 2015|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> Since the production ran over schedule, Crenna's role in the film was cut in order to avoid having to pay him higher fees as specified in his contract.<ref name=":2" />

The firearms used in the film had to be imported into Canada because of the country's [[Firearms regulation in Canada|firearms regulation]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9E0DE0DB143BF931A15753C1A964948260|title=Movie Review - First Blood|work=The New York Times|date=October 22, 1982|access-date=February 7, 2017|archive-date=February 26, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080226001837/https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9E0DE0DB143BF931A15753C1A964948260|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bcfilmcommission.com/newsletter/articles/20.php|title=Hope Celebrates 25th Anniversary of First Blood|publisher=British Columbia Film Commission|date=September 20, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130412011635/http://www.bcfilmcommission.com/newsletter/articles/20.php|archive-date=April 12, 2013}}</ref> In January 1982 over $50,000 worth of firearms—including fourteen [[M16 rifle]]s, three [[Remington Arms|Remington shotguns]], two [[.44 Magnum|.44 Magnum revolvers]], and eleven [[Colt AR-15|Colt AR-15 rifles]]—were stolen from the set. Although the guns had been modified to shoot blanks, the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] claimed that they could be easily modified to fire live ammunition. After the incident the set was guarded by the [[Canadian Army]], whose soldiers also served as extras in the film.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" />

=== Post-production ===
The first rough cut of the film was between three and three-and-a-half hours long. According to Sylvester Stallone, it was so bad that it sickened his agent and him. Stallone wanted to buy the movie and destroy it thinking that it was a career killer. After heavy re-editing, the film was cut down to 93 minutes; this version was ultimately released in theaters.<ref>{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGYN0DBRVjI|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/tGYN0DBRVjI|archive-date=December 22, 2021|url-status=live|title=First Blood DVD Commentary by Sylvester Stallone|date=July 19, 2014|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The ending used in the finished film was shot in March 1982, after the original one was deemed unsatisfactory.<ref>{{cite news|work=Ottawa Citizen|location=Ottawa, Ontario, Canada|title=News|date=March 12, 1982}}</ref>

Kassar and Vajna sought either [[Warner Bros.]], [[20th Century Fox]] or [[Paramount Pictures]] as a distributor, displaying an 18-minute promotional reel to studios. Although they secured international distributors, they were unable to locate a domestic distributor to the film until they sent a longer 55-minute reel to the [[American Film Market]]. After Warner Bros. and Paramount expressed interest, Orion Pictures agreed to the domestic distribution of the film.<ref name=":1" />