Stallone's "First Blood" prequel movie "John Rambo" has been set to star: 29-year-old actor Noah Centineo ("To All the Boys I've Loved Before" and "Black Letter") will play the young Rambo.
According to people familiar with the matter, the film is expected to start shooting in Thailand in early 2026, and Lionsgate Pictures is expected to win the distribution rights to the project. They have previously released two movies in the series.
"John Rambo" will be directed by Yalmari Hyland from a script by writing duo Rory Haynes and Saurabh Nohirwani. The plot is currently under wraps, but the film will be a film set during the Vietnam War and tell the origin story of a young John Rambo.
The first film of "First Blood" was released in 1982. Since then, Stallone has played the role in four sequels. The series has grossed more than 800 million U.S. dollars at the global box office.
Noah has starred in the Netflix series "C.I.A." and the 2022 superhero movie "Black Adam." He will also star in the movie adaptation of the classic game "Street Fighter", co-starring Jason Momoa and Andrew Koji, and is scheduled to be released in 2026.
Stallone has previously said that he wanted "Barbie" star Ryan Gosling to take over the role of "Rambo" because he learned that Gosling had been a fan of the series since he was a child.
The 79-year-old actor revealed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last year: "I met him at a dinner party and it was obvious we were completely different types of people. He was handsome - I wasn't. That's just the way it was. But he said, 'I've been obsessed with Rambo since I was a kid, and I would dress up in Rambo costumes in school and get chased away, but I still wouldn't give up.
He keeps emphasizing that he has deep feelings for Rambo, which I find interesting. If one day I were to pass this character on to someone else, I would pass it on to him because he truly loves this character. "
Stallone last played "First Blood" in 2019's poorly-received "First Blood: Last Blood." He admitted at the time that in order to play this role well, he made himself as "taciturn" as Rambo, and even annoyed his family because of this.
He told Collider: "I started to feel sullen and taciturn. I wasn't welcome in the house. Even the dog noticed. I was often in a daze and became really withdrawn."
Stallone also said that his difficult childhood helped him create the character of Rambo - originally from David Morel's 1972 novel "First Blood".
"Like a lot of people, my childhood wasn't perfect," he said. "I found people complaining, 'I'm a loser because my dad was mean and my mom was mean.' Everyone has those issues, so that's no excuse."