Is Noah Centineo playing Rambo? What you need to know about the prequel

Noah Centineu heads into the jungle in a prequel to Sylvester Stalloneit’s classic Rambo action film franchise.

The To All the Boys The actor will be doing more kicks than kisses as he plays the young version of Green Beret soldier John Rambo, who first appeared in the author. David Morrell1972 novel, First Bloodand was played by Stallone in five blockbuster films. Jalmari Helander — the director behind a groundbreaking action blockbuster content — was hired by producers Millennium Media in March 2025 to provide an origin story black adam writers Rory Haines i Sohrab Nashirvani in life

“When I was 11 years old, I saw First Blood for the first time, and it changed my life,” Helander said in January 2026. “Rambo it wasn’t just a movie for me, it stayed with me growing up and was a defining influence on why I wanted to become a filmmaker. When we start production on John Rambo’s origin, we’ll go back to the beginning.”

The filmmaker continued, “That’s it Rambo stripped down, raw and real: a survival story about endurance, persistence and lost innocence. It’s an honor to shape this next chapter with deep respect for the character and legacy, and to give audiences the beginning of John Rambo’s journey.”

Keep scrolling to learn more about John Rambo below.

Who stars in ‘John Rambo’?

Noah Centineo leads the cast of John Rambo as the young version of the military hero played by Sylvester Stallone in five previous films.

While Centineo is better known for his romantic comedies To all the boys I’ve loved before i The perfect dateportrayed a Navy SEAL in 2025 the war and then he will fight against the evil forces of M. Bison as Ken Masters in the next one Street Fighter reboot

The Hollywood Reporter revealed in January 2026 that Centineo will share the screen with sinners star Yao, Quincy Isaiah (Winning time: The rise of the Lakers dynasty), Jason Tobin (F9), Jefferson White (Yellowstone) i Tayme Thapthimthong (The White Lotus). Their roles will be announced at a later date.

What do we know about the plot of “John Rambo”?

John Rambo is set several years before the original First Blood novel and its 1982 film adaptation starring Sylvester Stallone. First Blood takes place after Rambo’s return home from the Vietnam War, so the prequel will naturally explore his wartime exploits.

In November 2025, John Rambo director Jalmari Helander addressed the ways in which his prequel will differ from other entries in the franchise.

“Of course it’s different, because we’re going to start in a place where basically everything is pretty good for Rambo,” Helander said. GamesRadar+. “He’s happy and younger and all that, because we’re telling the origin story.”

The director continued, “What would happen to him? Why did he become this kind of guy that we’ve all seen in First Blood? So it’s different.”

President of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Erin Westerman offered a little more insight into how John Rambo it will approach your previous timeline.

“We are excited to start production John Rambothat will allow both new audiences and existing fans to explore John Rambo’s roots, his principles, and most importantly, incredible action, courtesy of Jalmari’s unique vision,” said Westerman. The Hollywood Reporter in January 2026. “And we’re very excited for Noah’s committed and powerful performance to show what made this character a legend.”

What did Sylvester Stallone say about ‘John Rambo?’

Sylvester Stallone has supported aa John Rambo prequel in the past, although he did reveal it ScreenRant in September 2025 who originally wanted to use AI to play a younger Rambo.

“I wanted to do the first AI … not retroactive … but I wanted to rewrite the story of the previous Rambo because I wanted Rambo to be the nicest guy in school, the prize winner, prom king and all that stuff,” he revealed. “And when he goes to Vietnam, he thinks it’s going to be a three-week run-in, and you see him being tortured and captured, his friends killed, one thing after another, and (his) life in Saigon.”

Stallone added: “That’s how I became, but originally it was bon vivant, that kind of thing. And I thought, ‘We could do this with AI,’ but (we) procrastinated too much and they took it over and, hopefully, you know, good luck.”

In February 2024, Stallone revealed The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon this Ryan Gosling it was his preferred option play a young John Rambo.

“(Ryan) says, ‘I was fascinated by Rambo, and I used to go to school dressed as Rambo, and people would chase me and still not stop me. I would go on vacation as Rambo,'” Stallone told host Jimmy Fallon. “He went on to say he had a lot of affiliation with Rambo.”

The action star then teased, “I thought, ‘You know, this is interesting. If I ever get to take over, I’m going to pass it to him because he loves the character.’

A Rambo The prequel starring Gosling never happened, as Noah Centineo was reportedly introduced as the franchise’s new lead in August 2025. Deadline.

When will “John Rambo” be released?

No release date has been announced John Rambo still Production began in Bangkok, Thailand in January 2026.