Noah Centineo will portray the young John Rambo in a prequel directed by Jalmari Helander, with filming scheduled for early 2026 in Thailand. The plot, set during the Vietnam War, promises to tell the story of the future Green Beret’s training. Sylvester Stallone is informed but not involved, and Lionsgate is expected to distribute. A risky handover that aims to reinvent the myth without betraying it.
Key Points
Centineo takes over from Stallone in a Rambo prequel directed by Jalmari Helander; filming early 2026 in Thailand, story set during the Vietnam War. Lionsgate is expected, Stallone informed but not involved.
The announcement comes six years after the last Rambo film, Rambo: Last Blood (2019). In the meantime, the franchise has thrived on its global reputation, a heavy legacy: five films released between 1982 and 2019, over $850 million accumulated at the global box office, and a cultural icon born from a 1972 novel by David Morrell.
What We Know About the Project
The feature film is currently titled "John Rambo" – a name already used in France for the 2008 installment, Rambo 4. This origin story will follow Rambo at the age of his first scars, before the wandering told in First Blood (1982), exploring its origin. Jalmari Helander, a Finnish filmmaker accustomed to muscular survival films, takes the helm of the Rambo prequel. The duo Rory Haines / Sohrab Noshirvani (Informer, Black Adam) writes the screenplay, with the ambition to explore the hero’s military training and the traumas that will shape his Green Beret temperament.
Thailand will serve as the production base for part of the Rambo filming, with tropical settings that can evoke Southeast Asia in the 60s and 70s. The opening clap is aimed for early 2026 for Rambo. On the international distribution side, nothing is official; however, Lionsgate, a recurring partner of the Rambo saga, is often cited as a favorite to position itself, without confirmation at this stage.
An Unprecedented Passing of the Torch
It’s a first: John Rambo will be played by an actor other than Sylvester Stallone. The actor shaped the character in 1982 with First Blood, then in four sequels. He has often stated that a prequel seemed relevant to him to show "the perfect boy" before the war. Indeed, this boy was transformed by the conflict. He remains in the background of the project while being kept informed, leaving the door open to a symbolic blessing. Additionally, a cameo is possible if the story justifies it, even though nothing is announced.
The passing of the torch is all the more sensitive because Rambo is not just a name: it’s a silhouette, a playing rhythm, an imagination. Centineo will have to balance between lineage and appropriation. The challenge is to embody not the iconic statue of the 80s, but the man before the myth. Indeed, it is about showing his vulnerabilities, his doubts, and that cold anger that will become his trademark.
Noah Centineo, from Teen Movie to Action
Revealed by Netflix romantic comedies "To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before" and "Sierra Burgess Is a Loser", Noah Centineo has gradually turned to action: the role of Atom Smasher in "Black Adam", the spy Owen Hendricks in the series "The Recruit" (La Recrue) and a notable appearance in the war film "Warfare" (2025) by Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland. Soon, he is expected to play Ken in the live-action adaptation of "Street Fighter" anticipated in 2026.
With Rambo, Centineo changes scale. The challenge is not so much physical as dramatic. It is about playing the birth of a trauma. This must suggest what will later lead to distrust of authority. Then, it also leads to isolation and controlled violence. Where Stallone gave the character his roughness and weariness, Centineo will have to work on the flaw.
Back to Rambo’s Origins: Vietnam as a Matrix
The story should unfold during the Vietnam War, the matrix of Rambo’s psyche. In the novel by David Morrell (1972), the former soldier returns broken, in open conflict with a provincial sheriff. The 1982 film transformed this material into an action thriller tinged with PTSD. Then, it became the prototype of a lone hero. The sequels led this hero to more spectacular terrain.
Returning before the events of First Blood offers a narrative gateway: showing the competent soldier, popular, "team captain" before the break, then the spiral of a dirty war. Vietnam is not just a setting, but also the crucible where the ambivalent morality is formed. Moreover, it is also the place where the character’s contained anger is forged.
An Industrial and Symbolic Project
On the industrial level, Millennium Media seeks to restart a franchise that has aged without disappearing. Cannes served as a market showcase in the spring to launch international sales. The Rambo brand remains profitable: the five films total over $850 million in global box office receipts. But the 2025 audience expects something different than just a replica of the icon.
The choice of Jalmari Helander intrigues. Sisu (2022) showed a keen sense of framing, dry violence, and a taste for readable action. On Rambo, this could mean more immersive field sequences, a relationship with the body without digital overkill, and, hopefully, an attention to perspective. Success will depend on the balance between spectacle and intimacy.
Stallone, the Tutelary Shadow
It’s hard to imagine Rambo without Stallone. His signature – posture, diction, economy of words – has shaped forty years of popular cinema. The actor has already expressed interest in a look back at Rambo’s youth, even saying he would imagine a brilliant and athletic boy before the breakdown. His creative absence on this prequel can offer the team the freedom needed. His external perspective, however, will weigh symbolically at the time of promotion.
A Title to Clarify, Expectations to Manage
The provisional choice "John Rambo" poses a puzzle in France: it is already the French title of the 2008 installment. Marketing will need to distinguish the works to avoid confusion in theaters and on platforms. As for rating, nothing is indicated; the saga’s DNA leans towards an R-Rated American rating, but it is the writing that will set the bar.
As for the schedule, no release date is communicated. With filming scheduled for early 2026, the release will not occur before 2027 at the earliest, considering a classic post-production and a festival/sales window.
What the Prequel Aims For
In essence, the goal is clear: to tighten Rambo around a human arc. In the 80s, the character drifted towards heroic excess. A return to origins can reconcile the initial intention of portraying a battered veteran. Moreover, it meets the expectation of contemporary action, more harsh and sensory.
Noah Centineo arrives with a capital of notoriety among a young audience, curious to see him transform. If he manages to establish empathy before the violence, the prequel could expand the viewer base. Thus, it would respect the loyal fans from the beginning.
The Franchise in Numbers and Legacy
Created by David Morrell, Rambo debuted in cinema in 1982 under the direction of Ted Kotcheff. This was followed by Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), Rambo III (First Blood Part III, 1988), Rambo (2008), and Rambo: Last Blood (2019). Together, these films have surpassed $850 million at the global box office.
Beyond the numbers, the character has crystallized debates on the memory of war and post-traumatic syndrome. Moreover, it has addressed the mythology of the vigilante, even the geopolitics of the 80s. A prequel set in the Vietnam years can reconnect with these subtexts. However, it must be more than just a backdrop.
And Now?
Scouting must intensify in Thailand by the end of the year, while the Rambo casting will expand around Centineo. It remains to be seen who will play the brothers in arms, the officers, the Vietnamese antagonists, and Rambo’s entourage. No distribution agreement is official, and no definitive title is set.
One thing is certain: Rambo returns, but differently. If Helander finds the right distance between origin and reinvention, and if Centineo succeeds in the transformation, the icon could find a present. The answer will belong, as always, to the audience.