'Samaritan' First Look: Sylvester Stallone Is A Long-Missing Superhero

For much of the '80s, Sylvester Stallone was the closest you'd get to a cinematic superhero. The actor became known for his muscled action icons Rocky Balboa and John Rambo, though he never went so far as to put on spandex and play a proper superhero. But in the upcoming thriller Samaritan, Stallone gets pretty close. Stallone stars in the film by Overlord director Julius Aver, as a long-absent superhero who gets discovered by his next-door-neighbor. See the Samaritan first look below.

In Samaritan, a young boy discovers that a superhero who went missing 20 years ago is living next door to him. That superhero? None other than Sylvester Stallone, who for decades was the closest thing to a cinematic superhero that '80s movie audiences had. This is a concept that Samaritan director Julius Avery (Overlord, Son Of A Gun) wanted to play into by casting Stallone as a retired superhero who unexpectedly finds himself acting as a father figure of sorts. Avery spoke with Total Film, which debuted the above first look image:

"We didn't really have superheroes. We only had action heroes. And Sly was the closest thing we had to a superhero. So to put him in a superhero movie? That feels fresh and cool and something that people will get a kick out of."

In the Samaritan first look image, Stallone is wearing a hooded puffer jacket, presumably to help hide his identity, as he stops a car from toppling over in the middle of a highway, saving a young boy who he pulls close to him. It's unclear if this is a random bystander or the young boy who plays our scrupulous protagonist, the next-door neighbor of Stallone's former superhero.

Stallone starring as a retired superhero late in his career seems apt, especially considering the way he grappled with the legacy of Rocky Balboa, and the impact that age has on former muscled icons, in the Creed movies. But as we see in the image, Stallone will still be packing some punches.

"This is a big event movie – we see our heroes kicking ass," Avery said. "We're going to see Sly do things he hasn't done in a long time, and in a really inventive way. He's 73 years old! I'm amazed by how much he actually does. I'm telling you, most guys in their twenties wouldn't be able to do what Sly does in this movie."Samaritan is due to be released in theaters on June 4, 2021.