Sylvester Stallone has confirmed his involvement in an upcoming Rambo prequel, stepping into an executive producer role as the franchise prepares to explore the character’s early years.
Stallone shared the update in a video posted to Instagram on Monday, where he discussed the project and revealed that the new film will focus on the origin story of John Rambo. Holding up the script, Stallone said the film will revisit the character’s early life and hinted at the action and backstory audiences can expect.
The project will star actor Noah Centineo, 29, as a younger version of the iconic character. The casting marks Centineo’s first leading role in a major action franchise. He previously gained attention for his role in Netflix’s To All the Boys film series and later appeared in Black Adam alongside Dwayne Johnson, as well as the Netflix series The Recruit.
Although Stallone created and defined the role across multiple films, the prequel will be the first installment in the franchise not to feature him as the main character. However, the actor remains closely connected to the series. He co-wrote every previous Rambo film and directed the 2008 installment.
Stallone had previously suggested an alternative approach to a prequel concept. During a September appearance on The Playlist’s Bingeworthy podcast, he said he had proposed using de-aging technology and artificial intelligence to portray a younger version of himself as Rambo.
According to Stallone, the idea involved recreating the character during the Vietnam War era using advanced visual effects. The proposal ultimately did not move forward, and the production instead cast a younger actor for the role.
The new film, titled John Rambo, will serve as the sixth entry in the long-running franchise. The story will take place before the events of the 1982 film First Blood and will follow Rambo during his time in the Vietnam War.
Production on the film is currently underway in Bangkok, Thailand. Director Jalmari Helander is overseeing the project.
Stallone has acknowledged that taking on the role could be challenging for any actor because of the strong association audiences have with the original portrayal. He noted that comparisons are inevitable when a new performer steps into a character that has been defined by a long-running franchise.
The most recent film in the series, Rambo: Last Blood, was released in 2019. While it received mixed critical reactions, the Rambo franchise as a whole has generated more than $800 million in global box office revenue.
