After spending nearly 40 years playing the deeply traumatized war veteran John Rambo, Sylvester Stallone is stepping back from the role and opening the door for rising star Noah Centineo to take on a younger version of the hit character. Known for his work in Black Adam and The Recruit, Centineo will now star as Rambo in a new prequel movie titled John Rambo, directed by Jalmari Helander and written by Rory Haimes and Sohrab Noshirvani. He also has a stacked cast of co-stars, including David Harbour (Avengers: Doomsday), James Franco (127 Hours), and Quincy Isaiah (Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty).
While specific details on the plot are still being kept under wraps, the movie will focus on Rambo’s early days as a Green Beret and his intense experiences during the Vietnam War, which shaped the version of the character that Stallone embodied for decades. With Centineo taking on leading actor duties, Stallone is set to take a behind-the-scenes role, working as an executive producer and helping push forward the franchise he turned into a pop culture phenomenon. Now, the question turns to how involved he will actually be in bringing the movie to life.
Speaking with Josh Horowitz on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, John Rambo star Noah Centineo discussed original Rambo star Sylvester Stallone’s involvement in the new prequel movie. Asked if he had talked to Stallone about the movie, Centenio admitted that this had not happened yet because of how busy his schedule has been. However, he made it clear that he fully intends to visit Stallone in Florida so he can “spend some time with him and talk to him:”
“Not directly, no, not yet. Before the movie, I was in Australia. During it, we were in Thailand, and then days after we wrapped ‘Rambo,’ I was in Australia again for ‘Gundham,’ and then I came home, and then I had a week of family vacation. Now that I’m here…he lives in Florida, I believe, so I want to go and spend some time with him and talk to him.”
More to come…
