Sylvester Stallone's John Rambo Is Getting A Prequel Movie, And A Netflix Heartthrob Is Taking On The Role

Sylvester Stallone became one of the top draws in Hollywood in the ‘80s and ‘90s thanks to two major franchises, Rocky and Rambo. Both franchises have continued to serve the actor well into the modern era. However, Stallone had already said goodbye to the Rocky movies, and now it appears that we will have a new Rambo.

It had been previously rumored that there was interest in revitalizing the Rambo franchise via a prequel movie. It now appears that the project has taken a significant step forward. A screenplay written by Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani is set to be directed by Sisu director Jalmari Helander. More importantly, the new John Rambo has been found in a Netflix heartthrob.

Noah Centineo Will Play A Young John Rambo

According to Deadline, Noah Centineo, known well to those with a Netflix subscription for romances like To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, as well as more action-oriented series like The Recruit, is currently attached to take on the role of John Rambo. The new film is hoping to begin filming in early 2026 in Thailand, which will stand in for Vietnam.

The original John Rambo movie, titled First Blood, sees Rambo, dealing with PTSD following the Vietnam War and inadvertently crossing a small town sheriff, which leads to a standoff between the Green Beret and the local police. The new movie will tell the story, or at least part of the story, of Rambo’s time in Vietnam.

While First Blood was a more dramatic and complex story, each of the Rambo sequels that followed were more straightforward action movies. Stallone starred in the most recent entry in the franchise, the poorly-reviewed Rambo: Last Blood, in 2019. Despite the title, the movie left itself open to additional sequels.

Sylvester Stallone Reportedly Isn’t Involved In The New Film

According to the report, while Sylvester Stallone is aware of the project, he’s not involved in it in any way. It’s unclear if this is by choice or not. Stallone has indicated in the past that he doesn’t own any part of the Rocky franchise, a fact he’s unhappy about, and it appears that it directly contributed to his walking away following Creed III.

Stallone's lack of involvement is potentially interesting considering he has been one of the most vocal proponents of a Rambo prequel in recent years. Stallone himself had indicated he thought Ryan Gosling should lead future Rambo movies.

The marks the second major franchise opportunity for Noah Centineo coming up. He’ll also appear in the upcoming Street Fighter movie in the role of Ken. He had previously been attached to play He-Man in a live-action Masters of the Universe movie. That project ultimately fell through, but was later revived with Nicholas Galitzine in the lead. Ceninto also played Atom Smasher in Black Adam.