MOVIES - March 16, 1987

Sylvester Stallone said “Rambo III” will go into production in five or six weeks in the United States, with a script rewritten by the actor to make the character “more realistic and less of a cartoon figure.” Rambo will remain “unpredictable and explosive, but totally patriotic,” Stallone, seeking to defuse press reports of a wimpier Rambo, said Friday in a prepared statement. The superstar also defended “Over the Top,” which has been doing less than championship business at the box office. “I am extremely proud of ‘Over the Top,’ ” he said. “What they (critics) consider a flop, I consider a success.”