Editing Rambo: First Blood Part II (section)

== Production ==
=== Development and writing ===
Development of a sequel to ''First Blood'' began when [[Carolco Pictures]] sold foreign [[distribution rights]] to distributors in Europe and Japan in 1983, initially scheduling the film for a December 1984 release. It was later rescheduled for August 1, 1985.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Rambo: First Blood Part II|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58323-RAMBO-FIRSTBLOODPARTII?sid=250a8fac-48e3-4307-8f84-fb9f5fb87363&sr=16.122898&cp=1&pos=0|access-date=2021-06-11|website=catalog.afi.com}}</ref>

Then up-and-coming screenwriter [[Kevin Jarre]] had written a story [[Film treatment|treatment]] that was liked by both the producers and Stallone. Jarre later recalled in an interview in the documentary ''Tinsel – The Lost Movie About Hollywood'':<blockquote>I wrote the first draft of ''Rambo''. And I just did it, I was living on dog food at the time and I, you know, I needed a gig and I wanted to finish a spec script I was writing. And you know, they called, Stallone called me in and they had this idea about what they should do in the sequel to ''[[First Blood]]'' and I said, "Well, how about if maybe he searches for POWs in Southeast Asia and back in Vietnam?" He said, "Great, let’s do it."</blockquote>

Despite this, the film has many similarities both in script and in directing style with [[Ted Kotcheff]]'s [[Uncommon Valor]], which was also produced by [[Buzz Feitshans]]. It was one of a series of films about rescuing POWs in Vietnam that were entirely fictional.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Filmink|access-date=23 May 2025|date=23 May 2025|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/great-unfilmed-screenplays-the-greatest-raid-of-them-all-by-john-milius-and-john-plaster/|title=Great Unfilmed Screenplays: The Greatest Raid of Them All by John Milius and John Plaster}}</ref>

[[James Cameron]] was then hired to pen a first draft of the screenplay, which he was concurrently writing along with ''[[The Terminator]]'' and ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]]'', both of which he would go on to direct. Cameron had been recommended by [[David Giler]], who did some [[uncredited]] script work on the first film. Cameron's first draft was titled ''First Blood II: The Mission''.<ref>{{cite news|author=BROESKE, P. H.|date=October 27, 1985|title=THE CURIOUS EVOLUTION OF JOHN RAMBO|work=Los Angeles Times|id={{ProQuest|154252710}}}}</ref> According to Cameron, his script had the same basic structure of the first film, but was more violent than its predecessor. Cameron was quoted in an October 1986 issue of ''[[Famous Monsters of Filmland|Monsterland]]'' magazine: "It was quite a different film from ''First Blood'', apart from the continuation of the Rambo character. The first one was set in a small town, it had a different social consciousness from the second one, which was a very broad, stylized adventure. It was a little more violent in its execution than I had in mind in the writing."<ref name=Rambo>{{cite web|url=https://www.jamescamerononline.com/Rambo2.htm|title=Rambo First Blood Part II|website=www.jamescamerononline.com|date=|access-date=March 25, 2024}}</ref>

Following Cameron’s initial draft, Stallone took over scriptwriting duties, creating a final draft. Jarre received sole [[story credit]], while Stallone and Cameron were credited for the screenplay.

Jarre would defensively say that almost nothing of his original treatment ended up in the final script,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iH56DwAAQBAJ&dq=kevin+jarre%C2%A0Rambo%3A+First+Blood+Part+II&pg=PT18|title=The Making of Tombstone Behind the Scenes of the Classic Modern Western|last=Farkis|first=John|date=2018-11-16|publisher=McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers|isbn=9781476635033|language=en|access-date=2024-03-25}}</ref> while Cameron would comment that he only wrote the action and that Stallone wrote the politics.<ref name=Rambo/>

In a December 2006 Q&A with [[Ain't It Cool News]], Stallone recalled: {{blockquote|I think that James Cameron is a brilliant talent, but I thought the politics were important, such as a [[Conservatism in the United States|right-wing]] stance coming from Trautman and his nemesis, Murdock, contrasted by Rambo's obvious neutrality, which I believe is explained in Rambo's final speech. I realize his speech at the end may have caused millions of viewers to burst veins in their eyeballs by rolling them excessively, but the sentiment stated was conveyed to me by many veterans. ... [Also] in his original draft it took nearly 30–40 pages to have any action initiated and Rambo was partnered with a tech-y sidekick. So it was more than just politics that were put into the script. There was also a simpler story line. If James Cameron says anything more than that, then he realizes he's now doing the backstroke badly in a pool of lies.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.aintitcool.com/node/30932|title=Stallone answers December 9th & 10th Questions in a double round – plus Harry's Seen ROCKY BALBOA ...|author=headgeek|date=December 16, 2006|work=Aint It Cool News}}</ref>}}

Producers wanted Rambo to have a partner for the POW rescue mission. They wanted [[John Travolta]] to play Rambo's [[sidekick]], but Stallone vetoed the idea.<ref>''We Get to Win This Time'', 2002, Artisan Entertainment</ref> [[Lee Marvin]] (who had been considered for the role of Colonel Trautman in the first film) was offered the role of Marshall Murdock, but declined, and the role was given to [[Charles Napier (actor)|Charles Napier]].

Before filming started, Stallone went through torturous trainings to build the perfect musculature. Writer David J. Moore said in the 2019 documentary film ''In Search of the Last Action Heroes'': "Here's a guy who went against the grain in everything that he ever did. Here's a guy who transformed himself, literally; he chiseled his own body into this statuesque, muscular specimen."<ref name="insearch">''In Search of the Last Action Heroes''. [[ProSiebenSat.1 Media#Red Arrow Studios|Gravitas Ventures]]. 2019.</ref>{{rp|at=42:00}}

=== Filming ===
The film was shot between June and August 1984 [[Location shooting|on location]] in the state of [[Guerrero]], Mexico, and [[Thailand]]. While vacationing in Acapulco, Ron South was hired on as assistant editor and his film career began. During filming, [[special effect]]s man Clifford P. Wenger, Jr. was accidentally killed during one of the film's waterfall explosions, when he lost his footing and fell to his death.