Exiting the Rambo franchise, Sylvester Stallone has now closed in on a deal with MGM to star in the upcoming Julius Avery-directed thriller Samaritan. Shooting for the film is expected to begin next year according to Deadline. Centered upon an original idea, Samaritan follows a young boy who sets out to discover if a iconic superhero who disappeared over 20 years ago following a tragic scenario is still alive.

“Sly is a hero of mine, I’m incredibly thrilled to be working with such an iconic actor on this very special project with Balboa Productions and MGM,” exclaimed Avery in a press release for the film. The screenwriter of Escape Room, Bragi F. Schut will be scribing Samaritan with Stallone and Braden Aftergood, who will produce the film under their Balboa Productions banner. Schut will serve as the film’s executive producer.

The studio is separately in development with Stallone’s Balboa Productions on another project: a biopic about the first African American heavyweight champion Jack Johnson. Apart from Stallone, it is currently unknown who else had been cast in Samaritan.

Avery is represented by CAA and Brillstein Entertainment Partners. Stallone and Balboa Productions are represented by CAA. Schut is represented by Verve, Realm Management, and Eclipse Law Corporation.