The Rambo franchise is coming back to theaters, but without Sylvester Stallone in the lead role. Lionsgate has announced that John Rambo, a prequel movie exploring the origin of the famous action character, will hit the big screen on June 4, 2027. Noah Centineo will play the young John Rambo, taking over a role that Stallone has played since 1982.
The film wrapped production in March 2026 after a shoot in Bangkok, Thailand. This marks the first time in the franchise’s history that someone other than Stallone will play the title character.
Noah Centineo Steps Into a Legendary Role
Noah Centineo, best known for playing Peter Kavinsky in Netflix’s To All the Boys trilogy, will show a completely different side of his acting range. The 30-year-old actor has spent most of his career in romantic comedies and teen dramas. John Rambo requires him to play a haunted Vietnam War veteran with serious anger issues.
Centineo’s recent credits include Black Adam and the upcoming Street Fighter adaptation. He also appeared in Charlie’s Angels and TV shows like The Fosters and Austin & Ally. This role gives him a chance to prove he can handle serious action movies.
“The footage he has shot is extraordinary; it’s the best version of what I thought might be possible,” Lionsgate chairman Adam Fogelson told Business Insider in April 2026 after seeing early cuts of the film.
The Star-Studded Cast Joining Centineo
John Rambo has put together an impressive supporting cast. David Harbour, famous for playing Jim Hopper in Stranger Things and the lead in Hellboy, will play Major Trautman. This character was originally portrayed by the late Richard Crenna in the earlier Rambo films. Trautman is the military officer who trained Rambo and tries to help him throughout the series.
The cast also includes:
- James Franco in a smaller, undisclosed role
- Yao, the Chinese basketball legend turned actor
- Jason Tobin (Warrior, Fast & Furious 6)
- Quincy Isaiah (Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty)
- Jefferson White (Yellowstone)
- Tayme Thapthimthong (The White Lotus season 3)
James Franco’s Return to Studio Movies Brings Attention
James Franco’s involvement has become a talking point. This marks his first major studio film role since 2017’s Alien: Covenant. Franco largely stepped away from big Hollywood projects after five women accused him of sexual misconduct in 2018. Four of the accusers attended an acting school he operated. Franco has denied the allegations.
In the years since, Franco has mostly worked on smaller independent movies. John Rambo represents a significant return to the mainstream film industry. The size of his role in the movie is expected to be small, according to reports.
Who Is Directing and Writing the Prequel
Jalmari Helander, the Finnish director behind the 2022 action hit Sisu, is directing John Rambo. Sisu told the story of a gold miner who fights off Nazis in the Finnish wilderness at the end of World War II. The movie became a surprise success, grossing over $23 million worldwide against a budget of only $6 million.
Helander’s style fits the Rambo world perfectly. Sisu featured brutal violence, beautiful landscapes, and a nearly silent lead character who never gives up. Critics praised its old-school action movie approach.
The screenplay comes from Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani. The pair previously worked together on The Mauritanian, a 2021 legal drama starring Tahar Rahim, Jodie Foster, and Benedict Cumberbatch. That film received critical praise and several award nominations.
Stallone Stays Involved as Executive Producer
While Sylvester Stallone will not appear on screen, he remains connected to the project. Stallone serves as an executive producer on John Rambo. He joins Anthony Russo and Joe Russo (the directors of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame), Trevor Short, Dallas Sonnier, and Amanda Presmyk in that role.
The producing team includes Kevin King Templeton, Les Weldon, Jonathan Yunger, Angela Russo-Otstot, and Michael Disco. Stallone co-wrote every previous Rambo film, so his input on this prequel likely carries weight even without a writing credit.
What the Prequel Will Cover
John Rambo takes place before the events of First Blood (1982). That original movie introduced audiences to John Rambo as a troubled Vietnam War veteran who wanders into the small town of Hope, Washington. The local sheriff arrests him for vagrancy and treats him badly. Rambo escapes, triggering a manhunt that forces him to use his Special Forces training to survive.
The prequel will show how Rambo became the broken, dangerous man seen in First Blood. The story will likely cover his time in the Vietnam War, the trauma he experienced there, and his difficult return to American society. The movie will explore the events that shaped his personality and gave him his survival skills.
The franchise has always dealt with themes of PTSD, government betrayal, and the struggles of veterans returning home. The prequel has a chance to dig deeper into these ideas by showing the source of Rambo’s pain.
The Rambo Franchise Box Office History
The Rambo movies have made serious money over the past 40 years. The five films together have earned $820 million worldwide (not adjusted for inflation). Here is how each movie performed:
- First Blood (1982): $125 million
- Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985): $300 million
- Rambo III (1988): $189 million
- Rambo (2008): $113 million
- Rambo: Last Blood (2019): $91 million
The franchise took a 20-year break between Rambo III and Rambo. Stallone returned to direct the fourth film and co-write the script. The series has survived for over four decades, proving that audiences keep coming back to this character.
Also Read:
John Rambo Opens a Packed Summer 2027
June 4, 2027 puts John Rambo in the middle of a very crowded summer movie season. The film opens just one week after Star Wars: Starfighter, a new movie starring Ryan Gosling and directed by Shawn Levy. That film comes from Lucasfilm and will likely dominate theaters.
The following weeks bring even more competition. Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse arrives on June 11, 2027. An untitled Oceans prequel from Warner Bros. opens on June 25, 2027. A Paramount movie is also scheduled for the same June 4 date, though the studio has not revealed the title yet.
Lionsgate clearly believes John Rambo can hold its own against these giant franchises. The movie has wrapped filming and has over a year for post-production and marketing.
Also Read: Britney Spears Breaks Silence After DUI and Rehab: ‘This Year Has Been Quite Interesting’
For the latest entertainment news and movie release updates, keep visiting VvipTimes for breaking stories from Hollywood.
