MOVIE NEWS – After nearly four decades as John Rambo, Sylvester Stallone is handing the role to Noah Centineo, but he is not completely stepping away from the franchise he helped turn into an action landmark. Centineo has now discussed his relationship with his legendary predecessor and how he hopes to involve Stallone as the Vietnam-set John Rambo moves through post-production.
Stallone spent almost 40 years portraying John Rambo, the deeply scarred combat veteran who became one of cinema’s defining action heroes, but the next installment is heading back to a much earlier point in the character’s life. Noah Centineo will lead the prequel after roles in projects including Black Adam and Netflix’s The Recruit. John Rambo is directed by Sisu filmmaker Jalmari Helander from a screenplay by Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani, with David Harbour, James Franco, and Quincy Isaiah among the actors joining Centineo.
Specific story details remain closely guarded, but the movie will explore Rambo’s younger years as a Green Beret and the brutal experiences he endured during the Vietnam War. In other words, the prequel is designed to show how the young soldier became the traumatized veteran audiences first encountered in 1982’s First Blood. Stallone will not reprise the title role this time, although he remains connected to the film as an executive producer, raising the obvious question of how directly the man most closely associated with Rambo will help shape the new incarnation.
Noah Centineo Hasn’t Had His Rambo Conversation With Stallone Yet
During an appearance on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, Centineo was asked whether he had already spoken with Stallone about taking over such an iconic character. Surprisingly, the answer was no. Centineo explained that his schedule had barely given him an opportunity: he was working in Australia before John Rambo, spent the shoot in Thailand, and returned to Australia only days after wrapping. Now that things have settled somewhat, meeting Stallone is high on his list. “Not directly, no, not yet. Before the movie, I was in Australia. During it, we were in Thailand, and then days after we wrapped Rambo, I was in Australia again. Now that I’m here, he lives in Florida, I believe, so I want to go and spend some time with him and talk to him.”
Principal photography took place earlier this year, running from January into March in Thailand, and Centineo’s comments suggest Stallone was not personally involved with the day-to-day shoot. His executive-producer position still leaves plenty of opportunity for greater involvement during post-production, however, while Centineo clearly wants the chance to speak directly with the actor who defined Rambo for generations. There is still time for that collaboration to develop: Lionsgate has scheduled John Rambo for a June 4, 2027 theatrical release, bringing the character back to cinemas eight years after Rambo: Last Blood.
Source: MovieWeb
