Rambo is officially returning for a new movie, with Lionsgate acquiring the rights. The deal includes worldwide distribution rights for the upcoming prequel, which will be the sixth installment in the Rambo franchise.
The film will be the first in the series without Sylvester Stallone in the lead role. Instead, Stallone will serve as an executive producer, while Noah Centineo takes on the titular role.
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The franchise timeline
The Rambo story began with First Blood in 1982, when Stallone first portrayed John Rambo. The upcoming film, John Rambo, is being developed as an origin story set before the events of First Blood.
Later entries in the franchise expanded the character’s story, and John Rambo will mark the sixth film in the series. It will also be the first Rambo movie in which Stallone does not appear as the lead actor. Centineo will portray a younger John Rambo, with the story set during the Vietnam War before the events of First Blood.
Stallone’s role in the film
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Stallone has agreed to executive produce the project and confirmed that it will focus on the character’s origins.
Stallone wrote on Instagram: “Rambo has been a significant part of my life for a long time.” He added, “Now we’re going back to where his story begins,” and said, “I’m excited to be executive producing @JohnRamboFilm, exploring the early chapter of the man before the legend.”
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Director Jalmari Helander told Collider’s Perri Nemiroff at Fantastic Fest that he was deeply inspired by the original 1982 film.
“I could talk a whole day about this. First Blood basically changed my life when I was 10 years old. I was playing Rambo every f***ing day, being in a forest with my Rambo knife. Now, watching the movies with my 11-year-old son, I saw what he loved — the same things I did. But when we got to Rambo 4, he said, ‘I don’t want to watch this anymore.’ It was too dark. Too brutal. The magic was gone,” he said.
When asked about casting the lead, Helander said he was confident in his decision.
“They have charisma,” he said, comparing Centineo to Jorma Tommila. “When I’m watching Noah just sitting somewhere, not doing anything important, I can feel that there is something in him. He’s easy to watch in a way that most people are not.”
Helander added that his main goal is to bring back the charm that the original film had for a new generation of viewers.
The cast also includes Yao, Jason Tobin, Quincy Isaiah, Jefferson White, and Tayme Thapthimthong, according to The Hollywood Reporter’s production report.
Filming details
Production on John Rambo began in Thailand in January 2026. According to Screen Global Production, filming is taking place in Bangkok, Krabi, Phang Nga, and Kanchanaburi.