Rambo Reboot Finds Its Sylvester Stallone Replacement in Former DC Star

Rambo has found some new blood. Millennium Media, producers of Sylvester Stallone‘s 2008 Rambo sequel and 2019’s Rambo: Last Blood, has been developing origin movie John Rambo as a prequel to 1982’s First Blood. Described as the “origin story of a young John Rambo during the Vietnam War,” John Rambo marks what Millennium calls a “fresh new chapter” in the five-film series co-written and starring Stallone.

As reported by Deadline, Millennium has enlisted Noah Centineo to play the younger John Rambo in the prequel set during Rambo’s military career between 1966 and 1974. It’s also being reported that Stallone is currently not involved with John Rambo, but that the star is aware that Centineo is attached to take over one of his most iconic roles.

John Rambo reunites the To All the Boys star with writing duo Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani, who co-wrote 2022’s Dwayne Johnson vehicle Black Adam. Centineo played the size-shifting superhero Atom Smasher of the Justice Society and went on to portray Navy SEAL Brian Alazzawi in Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland’s acclaimed Warfare.

“We are thrilled to introduce a fresh new chapter to the Rambo legacy. This project is a tribute to one of the best franchises in movie history that will appeal to both longtime fans and new audiences alike,” Millennium President Jonathan Yunger said in a statement. “With Jalmari Helander at the helm — a filmmaker of exceptional vision and energy — we’ve found the perfect director to deliver a high-concept action-packed experience.”

Helander, who helmed the 2022 war thriller Sisu, is directing. Deadline reports that Rambo and Last Blood distributor Lionsgate is the frontrunner to win the package when it hits the Cannes market, and that John Rambo is expected to begin shooting in Thailand in early 2026.

“I have been the biggest fan of Rambo since the age of 11. It is so surreal to be in a situation where I can actually make my own Rambo movie,” Helander said. “The chain of events that got me here makes, in a fantastic way, my whole childhood make sense. I can’t wait to bring the greatest action hero back to the big screen where he belongs.”

Kevin King-Templeton — a producer on the first two Creed films and such Stallone-fronted films as Cop Land, Rocky Balboa, The Expendables, Bullet to the Head, Escape Plan, and Rambo: Last Blood — is producing for Templeton Media with Les Weldon (Red Sonja), Avi Lerner (The Expendables 4), and Jonathan Yunger (Guns Up). The executive producers are Trevor Short (2011’s Conan the Barbarian), Dallas Sonnier (Bone Tomahawk), and Amanda Presmyk (Dragged Across Concrete).