This summer saw quite a few new franchises start, with the reboot of Star Trek and the new G.I. Joe movie. Meanwhile, sequels really hit the tank, largely being critically panned (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Terminator Salvation). Yet, Hollywood’s love affair with sequels obviously isn’t over with, as two new chapters in franchises thought closed have been announced overnight.

Variety reports that Sylvester Stallone is hard at work on a new, fifth chapter for his popular Rambo saga. Like the last movie, Stallone will star and direct, proving himself to be a one-man army when it comes to filmmaking, much like his character is when it comes to rescue missions. This time around, John Rambo will be breaking borders – the U.S./Mexico border that is, as the soldier goes to war with human traffickers and drug lords as he rescues an abducted young girl.

John Rambo isn’t the only one planning to head back to the theater. Hollywood Reporter announced that Columbia Pictures is hoping to lure Michael Bay, Jerry Bruckheimer, Will Smith, and Martin Lawrence back for a third Bad Boys picture. While none of the aforementioned stars has any commitment to the project, Columbia Pictures has moved ahead with a script, hiring Peter Craig to write the new movie. Craig is another one of those up-and-coming screenwriters who hasn’t actually had a project he’s written come to full development yet, so my expectation that he’ll provide a script that pulls everyone back for Bad Boys 3 is low.

So there you go – no matter how much people complain about the quality of sequels, as long as people go to see them in theaters, the studios will keep grinding them out. I can’t say I’m terribly surprised about another Rambo picture, but it’s been six years since the sequel to Bad Boys and Will Smith, if no one else, has definitely moved on to projects beyond the high action movies. Of course, Bad Boys 3 is also really just a dream right now, with nobody seriously attached, so it may never wind up happening… or worse, Smith will be busy and we’ll wind up with Bad Boys: The New Boys. Anyone seen Cuba Gooding Jr. lately?