Rambo Origin Movie in the Works (But Will Sylvester Stallone Return?)

Though audiences know John Rambo was a Vietnam War veteran, they’ll soon get a chance to see the character’s full origin story on screen. According to Deadline, the prequel movie John Rambo is going to be shopped around for distributors at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Millennium Media is the production company behind the project, which already has director Jalmari Helander and writers Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani attached. As of this writing, a release date has not been announced, but the plan is for John Rambo to begin filming this October.

Specific plot details are being kept under lock and key, but the general story would chronicle a young Rambo’s exploits during the Vietnam War. Deadline notes that Rambo franchise star Sylvester Stallone is not involved at this juncture. However, he could come aboard “should a fitting role arise.” The filmmakers are currently in the midst of the casting process.

The Rambo franchise kicked off back in 1982 with First Blood, an adaptation of the novel of the same name by David Morrell. The film was a critical and commercial success, earning praise for its compelling, dramatic tale of a war veteran fighting for his life as he becomes the subject of a manhunt in a small town. Stallone received high marks for his performance. First Blood grossed $125.2 million worldwide against a $15 million budget, paving the way for multiple sequels.

[RELATED – Chris Pratt’s Coming-of-Age Movie Marathon for Son Sparks R-Rated Debate]

Stallone last played Rambo in 2019’s Rambo: Last Blood, which was widely panned and didn’t make much of an impact at the box office. It only earned $91.4 million worldwide, becoming the lowest grossing installment in the franchise. Still, Rambo remains an enduring figure in the pop culture zeitgeist, as evidenced by his appearances in video games like Mortal Kombat 11 and Call of Duty: Warzone.

Digital de-aging is a prominent tool in the film industry, allowing actors to appear as younger versions of themselves. Theoretically, that could be a roadmap for Stallone to reprise the role (a la Robert De Niro in The Irishman), but it’s for the best the filmmakers are going the recasting route. At 78 years old, Stallone is probably limited with what he can do from a physicality standpoint, and John Rambo will almost definitely be an action-heavy project. A younger actor would be much better suited to play the role. Still, it would be nice to see Stallone become involved in some capacity, even if it was just behind-the-scenes as a producer. He’s been with the franchise from the beginning, so having him there to guide a new actor along would be a cool moment.

Though no distributor is onboard yet, it seems like John Rambo is a priority for Millennium Media since the studio wants to start shooting in a handful of months. With a creative team in place, the next order of business will be putting together the film’s cast. It will be interesting to see who is chosen to be the next Rambo. Going with an established name could give John Rambo some extra star power to add to its appeal, but a relative unknown might make it easier for audiences to buy into the young Rambo. Following Stallone’s footsteps is no easy task, so it’ll be important to find the best actor for the job.