John Rambo: Everything we know so far about the prequel starring Noah Centineo as it begins filming

John Rambo is an upcoming film in the action thriller genre, directed by Jalmari Helander, while Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani wrote the screenplay. The film will serve as an origin story of Rambo and will be a prequel to 1982's First Blood.

It recently went into production with the makers taking to social media to announce the news. So let's explore all the important and available details about the film.

The original film starred Sylvester Stallone as a Vietnam War veteran who clashes with the local police. The film was a major success and kick-started a franchise consisting of several sequels.

Everything we know about John Rambo

John Rambo is directed by Jalmari Helander, who has earlier helmed Sisu. The screenplay is written by Sohrab Noshirvani and Rory Haines. It stars Noah Centineo, Yao, Jason Tobin, Tayme Thapthimthong, Jefferson White, and Quincy Isaiah.

The production recently kick-started in Bangkok, Thailand. It's produced by Les Weldon, Kevin King Templeton, Jonathan Yunger, Michael Disco, and Angela Russo-Otstot. Anthony & Joe Russo, Trevor Short, Dallas Sonnier, and Amanda Presmyk are the executive producers. The production banners include Millennium Media, AGBO, and Bonfire Legend. Lionsgate is taking care of the distribution.

The film will take place years before the events of First Blood. The storyline will focus on the experiences that Rambo went through. Helander stated the film.

“When I was 11, I saw ‘First Blood’ for the first time, and it changed my life. Rambo wasn’t just a film to me, it stayed with me growing up and was a defining influence on why I wanted to become a filmmaker. As we begin production on the origin of John Rambo, we’re going back to the beginning. This is 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 the legacy, and to bring audiences the start of John Rambo’s journey.”

Erin Westerman, who heads Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said:

“We’re thrilled to start production on ‘John Rambo,’ which will allow both new audiences and existing fans to explore John Rambo’s roots, his principles, and most importantly, some incredible action, courtesy of Jalmari’s singular vision. And we’re so excited for Noah’s committed and powerful performance to show what forged this character into legend.”

The shooting is expected to take place across different cities in Thailand. This includes Bangkok, Krabi, Kanchanaburi, and Phang Nga.

First Blood was directed by Ted Kotcheff while Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim, and Sylvester Stallone wrote the screenplay. The film was released in 1982 and was a critical and commercial success. It was followed by a sequel titled Rambo: First Blood Part II. Since the first film, Rambo has expanded into a franchise that consists of a video game, an animated television series, a comic book series, and a novel series. The first film was inspired by David Morrell's namesake 1972 novel.