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Noah Centineo is an incredibly busy bee this year. Besides promoting Street Fighter, which is starting to gain momentum in anticipation of him taking to the screen as Ken, and Netflix nabbing his mech-sized movie, Gundam, which will see him star opposite Sydney Sweeney, he’s now headed to Thailand to get to work on John Rambo, the prequel that will explore the origins of Sylvester Stallone’s bandanna-wearing one-man-army.
Bloody Disgusting reports that following the release of the recent teaser poster (see below), filming will start this week in Thailand, with the director of the Sisu movies, Jalmari Helander, calling the shots. The new film, which was written by Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani, will explore how the man from First Blood drew his…uh, first blood, we’re guessing?
Helander has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’s the perfect pick to helm the project, having shown what he can do with a lone hero against an army of unprepared soldiers. What will be interesting is seeing if Centineo can handle a blade and a bow like the original hero, known for eating things that would make a billy goat puke.
In a statement that accompanied the poster, Helander wrote, “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.”
JOHN RAMBO — Now in Production. pic.twitter.com/UlnVY4kICeJanuary 29, 2026
In November 2025, Helander provided a more detailed overview to GamesRadar+ regarding what to expect in the new film and how distinct the prequel will be from the other instalments. "Of course, it's different, because we're gonna start in a place where everything is basically pretty okay for Rambo," Helander tells GamesRadar+. "He's happy and younger and all that, because we are telling the origin story. What would happen to him? Why did he become that kind of dude that we've all seen in First Blood? So it's different."
Joining Centineo on the first action-packed step will be Sinners star, Yao, as well as Jason Tobin (Warrior, A Thousand Blows), Quincy Isaiah, Jefferson White (Yellowstone), and Tayme Thapthimthong (The White Lotus). Currently, there’s no confirmed release date for the film just yet, but we can only hope Helander, Centineo, and the rest of the crew bring the carnage when young John J. Rambo finally is fit for combat in the future. While we wait, check out our list of the films we’re most excited about in 2026 here.
