“The Kid’s Got to Die”: Rambo III’s Director Says Stallone Wanted His 9-Year-Old Co-Star Killed Off After the Boy Corrected His Lines

Sylvester Stallone’s performance in First Blood (1982) stands the test of time. The subsequent Rambo movies? Eh, not so much. While the sequels are bigger and bloodier than the original movie, that doesn’t automatically make them better.

Rambo III (1988), in particular, remains a divisive film in the series (39% on Rotten Tomatoes), and it wasn’t a smooth production behind the scenes. As covered in Nick de Semlyen’s The Last Action Heroes: The Triumphs, Flops, and Feuds of Hollywood’s Kings of Carnage, Stallone fired Highlander director Russell Mulcahy for his choice of enemies for Rambo to face. Peter MacDonald, who was promoted from second-unit director to the main chair, claimed otherwise and explained how Stallone’s ego ran rampant.

“Sly was walking through the bazaar set and started pointing at guys, saying, ‘They don’t look right,’” MacDonald said. “And I suddenly realized that the ones being pointed at were all about five foot ten and over. In other words, anyone above him.”

That wasn’t the only incident of people disappearing around the set, as two editors also departed the production seemingly out of nowhere. “One of Sly’s entourage was this Mafia enforcer or something from New York,” MacDonald explained. “He said to me, ‘Oh, don’t worry, Peter, they’re history.’ I never, ever saw them again. They could be floating around in the Red Sea, I don’t know.”

Another rumored point of contention was child actor Doudi Shoua, who played Hamid in Rambo III. “This kid was annoying; he could drive you crazy,” MacDonald said. “But he was full of life and energy.”

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One day, MacDonald knew that trouble was brewing between Shoua and Stallone. “I’m doing a tracking shot with him and Sly with quite a bit of dialogue, and Sly gets his lines wrong,” MacDonald said. “The kid picked him up and told him the right line. Now I’m looking at Sly and thinking, ‘This is not going to work too well.’”

According to MacDonald, a producer approached him with a suggestion from Stallone that “the kid’s got to die.” MacDonald reportedly replied, “In the film or in reality?” Nonetheless, the director fought for Shoua’s continued inclusion in the film, while also warning the young actor to watch his step. “I thought it was quite funny,” MacDonald said. “A nine-year-old going to war with the world superstar. ‘The kid’s got to die.’”

One thing’s for certain, though: the battle behind the scenes of Rambo III more than matched the action onscreen.

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The franchise is gaining attention again, thanks to Lionsgate’s John Rambo, which is meant to be a prequel to First Blood. Set to release on June 4, 2027, the new film will star Noah Centineo, with Stallone returning as an executive producer.

Rambo III is currently streaming on Paramount+ and free with ads on Pluto TV, and you can rent or buy it digitally on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.