And he’s back

Stallone is back, a lot aged, but a superhero of sorts, hiding in plain sight, and with assorted powers. A kid finds him in his neighbourhood, and maybe the story tells a nice tale of a child’s dream or a botched up, old Rambo tale. You’ll have to watch to find out.

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“Thirteen-year-old Sam Cleary (Walton) suspects that his mysterious and reclusive neighbour Mr. Smith (Stallone) is actually a legend hiding in plain sight. Twenty years ago, Granite City’s super-powered vigilante, Samaritan, was reported dead after a fiery warehouse battle with his rival, Nemesis.”

“Most believe Samaritan perished in the fire, but some in the city, like Sam, have hope that he is still alive. With crime on the rise and the city on the brink of chaos, Sam makes it his mission to coax his neighbour out of hiding to save the city from ruin,” the official plotline read.

Stallone is known for headlining action franchises such as Rocky, Rambo, and The Expendables. This action thriller may be a little different.

At the centre of the story of this action-thriller is a 13-year-old boy, Sam Cleary, who suspects that the mysterious and lonely Mr Smith living in his neighborhood is actually a legend, who keeps his identity a secret. Twenty years ago, the Samaritan, a mighty defender of the Granite City, disappeared after a fierce battle with his enemy. Everyone assumed he was dead.

Pre-review
Sam Cleary’ (Javon Walton) suspects his mysterious and reclusive neighbour ‘Mr. Smith’ (Stallone) is actually a legend hiding in plain sight. Twenty years ago, the ‘Granite City’ super-powered vigilante, ‘Samaritan’ was reported dead after a fiery warehouse battle with his rival, ‘Nemesis’. Most believe Samaritan perished in the fire, but some in the city, like Sam, have hope that he is still alive. With crime on the rise and the city on the brink of chaos, Sam makes it his mission to coax his neighbour out of hiding to save the city from ruin…”

Stallone’s character Joe Smith, AKA Samaritan, is a superhero who went missing and was reported dead after an epic battle two decades ago. Now, as we see in the trailer, he has a new life working as a refuse collector. Javon Walton, who’s known for his roles in Euphoria and The Umbrella Academy season 3, plays Joe’s young neighbour Sam, who discovers the secret alter ego he’s tried to leave behind. As the city descends into crime and chaos, Sam hopes to convince Joe to return to his superhero roots.

The two grudgingly form a bond, but that’s where the trailer stops, so something’s sure to go wrong. But the trailer nods to other superhero projects, including Unbreakable (Smith and David Dunn have the same taste in clothes) and Hancock (a superhero who hates the limelight) though it thankfully doesn’t come close to Jupiter’s Legacy territory (the Netflix adaptation, that is).

Production
In February 2019, it was announced that MGM had acquired a spec script by Bragi F. Schut titled Samaritan to be co-produced with Balboa Productions. Schut had written the screenplay prior to adapting the story in a series of graphic novels published by Mythos Comics. In September 2019, Julius Avery joined the production as director.

In February 2019, it was announced that Sylvester Stallone would star in the titular role and also act as producer. In February 2020, Martin Starr, Moisés Arias, Dascha Polanco, Pilou Asbæk, Javon Walton, Jared Odrick, and Michael Aaron Milligan joined the cast in supporting roles. In March 2020, Natacha Karam joined the cast of the film.

In September 2019, filming was scheduled for a 2020 start date in Atlanta. Filming was confirmed to have commenced by February 26, 2020. On March 14, the production went on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By October 8, 2020, filming had resumed.

Budget
It grossed $100 million against an estimated $80 million production budget.

Name of movie: Samaritan
Release: (August 26) At Amazon Prime
Star cast: Sylvester Stallone as Joe Smith / Samaritan; Javon Walton as Sam Cleary; Martin Starr as Arthur; Moisés Arias as Reza Smith; Dascha Polanco as Isabelle; Natacha Karam; Pilou Asbæk as Cyrus; Jared Odrick; Michael Aaron Milligan; Deacon Randle as The Fireman.

Director:   Julius Avery
Producer:  Sylvester Stallone; Braden Aftergood
Writer:  Bragi F. Schut
Music:  Jed Kurzel; Kevin Kiner

Production House:   Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; Balboa Productions