By The Rambo franchise is returning to the front lines with a new prequel that rewinds the clock to the origins of its iconic hero.
Millennium Media has confirmed the prequel named John Rambo, a Vietnam War–era film starring Noah Centineo in the title role. The project shifts focus away from the lone drifter audiences know and instead explores the formative experiences that shaped him.
Directing is Jalmari Helander, fresh off the breakout success of Sisu, bringing his reputation for raw, survival-driven action to the franchise. The screenplay comes from Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani, the writers behind Black Adam. Production is scheduled to begin in early 2026, with Thailand standing in for the jungles and battlefields of Southeast Asia.
Set years before First Blood, the film traces Rambo’s journey from small-town athlete to elite Green Beret, charting the physical and psychological transformation forged during the Vietnam War. Rather than revisiting familiar post-war themes, the story aims to examine the making of a soldier and the trauma embedded long before his return home.
Sylvester Stallone is not involved in the prequel, though he is aware of the project. John Rambo positions itself as a grounded, character-focused expansion of the franchise, reframing a pop-culture icon through the lens of war and origin.
