Lionsgate’s upcoming Rambo prequel John Rambo is currently in production, and the project just landed a major piece of the franchise’s legacy. Sylvester Stallone, the actor who originally brought John Rambo to life, has revealed that he’s officially joined the film as an executive producer.
The movie will explore events that take place before the classic 1982 film First Blood, offering fans a look at the early days of one of action cinema’s most iconic characters.
Stallone’s involvement carries a lot of weight for the long-running series. Even though he won’t appear on screen in this installment, his creative history with the character runs deep.
Stallone co-wrote the previous five Rambo films and even directed the 2008 movie Rambo. Across those five movies, the franchise has pulled in more than $819 million at the global box office.
Interestingly, this marks the first time Stallone has officially produced a Rambo film. For a franchise that’s now reaching its sixth entry and celebrating more than four decades of action-packed storytelling, it only makes sense that he would be a part of the next film in some way.
Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson shared his excitement about bringing Stallone into the production in a new role, saying:
“Sylvester Stallone knows the character of John Rambo better than anyone, and Lionsgate has had the good fortune of partnering with Sly for more than 20 years on this legendary IP. His participation is the final, critical piece to John Rambo, and we’re thrilled to have his involvement.”
Taking over the role of the younger Rambo is Noah Centineo, who will step into the boots of the future Green Beret years before audiences first met him wandering into Hope, Washington in First Blood.
The film is being directed by Jalmari Helander, the filmmaker behind the gritty action film Sisu. Production is currently underway in Bangkok, Thailand.
The screenplay was written by Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani. The project is being produced by Lionsgate, Millennium Media, Templeton Media, and AGBO, with Lionsgate handling distribution.
The film also arrives as Lionsgate continues expanding its relationship with Millennium Media. Last November, Lionsgate secured a deal with Millennium to develop and produce future projects tied to The Expendables franchise, while also gaining worldwide distribution rights to John Rambo, the next chapter in the Rambo saga.
For longtime fans, seeing Stallone connected to the project, even in a producer role, should add some reassurance that the spirit of the character will remain intact.
Helander previously expained that this movie is starting from a very different emotional place. He shared: “Of course, it’s different, because we’re gonna start in a place where everything is basically pretty okay for Rambo.
“He’s happy and younger and all that, because we are telling the origin story. What would happen to him? Why did he become that kind of dude that we’ve all seen in First Blood? So it’s different.”
Instead of jumping into the chaos and trauma that shaped the Rambo we know, Helander is aiming to show how the quiet young man eventually becomes the relentless warrior we meet in First Blood.
With the story diving into Rambo’s earlier years, John Rambo has the chance to explore a side of the character we’ve never really seen before.
