Noah Centineo to play Rambo in John Rambo prequel
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, Noah Centineo will star in the lead role in the John Rambo prequel. The project will begin filming in Thailand in mid-2026. Deadline has reported that Lionsgate is in talks to distribute the film in the United States.
Jalmari Helander, known for Sisu, will direct the film from a screenplay by Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani. The film is produced by Millennium Media, best known for action franchises such as The Expendables and Hitman’s Bodyguard.
While plot details have not been revealed, the story will follow a young John Rambo during the Vietnam War years. Rambo is one of American cinema’s most iconic characters, first introduced in David Morrell’s novel First Blood. In the film adaptation, Sylvester Stallone played a veteran forced to stand alone against his pursuers in the mountains. The five-film franchise has grossed $800 million worldwide as of 2019, when Rambo: Last Blood was released.
Sylvester Stallone, the original actor behind the role, has been informed about the production and Centineo’s casting but is not currently involved in the project. Kevin King-Templeton, Les Weldon, Jonathan Yunger, and Avi Lerner are producing.
Centineo rose to fame with Netflix’s hit series To All the Boys I Loved Before and will star in Legendary’s live-action adaptation of Street Fighter alongside Jason Momoa and Andrew Koji, set for theatrical release in 2026. He was recently seen in the action film Warfare, directed by Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland.
