A prequel to Rambo is in the works - and you know what, hell yeah.
According to Deadline, Jalmari Helander (Rare Exports, Big Game, Sisu) is set to direct the pic from a screenplay by writing duo Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani (Black Adam). Filming is set to begin in Thailand this October.
Per the report, the plot of the movie is still "under wraps," but it will be "the origin story of a young John Rambo during the Vietnam War. Casting is underway. Sylvester Stallone is apparently aware of the prequel, but is not involved at this time. Back in 2020, Stallone said he would only continue the franchise "as a streaming prequel or not at all" (via ScreenRant). Talk of a prequel involving a younger John Rambo goes back all the way to 2010, with Stallone himself entertaining the idea of directing.
The Rambo franchise spawned from the 1972 novel First Blood by David Morrell, with First Blood, directed by the late Ted Kotcheff, hitting theaters in 1982. The hit film, which earned $160 million against a budget of $15 million, was followed by Rambo: First Blood Part 2 in 1985, Rambo 3 in 1988, Rambo in 2008, and Rambo: Last Blood in 2019 - the latter of which saw Stallone reprise the role once more.
John Rambo does not yet have a release date. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2025 and beyond, or, check out our list of movie release dates.
