Noah Centineo’s prequel to John Rambo is officially underway, with the film rounding out its cast as production begins.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, the newest installment in the revived Rambo franchise has begun filming in Bangkok, Thailand.
Lionsgate will distribute director Jalmari Helander‘s movie that disclosed the origins of the titular character.
The prequel took place prior to First Blood, the iconic 1982 film starring Sylvester Stallone and adapted from David Morrell’s book.
Noah Centineo, who stars in this year’s Street Fighter, will play the main role in the new movie.
On Thursday, Lionsgate revealed that John Rambo’s star-studded cast will include Yao Jason Tobin , Quincy Isaiah , Jefferson White and Tayme Thapthimthong.
Helander is on the board to direct the prequel project from a script by Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani.
“When I was 11, I saw First Blood for the first time, and it changed my life,” Helander said in a statement.
He added, “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.”
Lionsgate Motion Picture Group president Erin Westerman stated, “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.”
Millennium Media, Templeton Media and AGBO, the film counts Kevin King Templeton, Les Weldon, Jonathan Yunger, Michael Disco and Angela Russo-Otstot as producers.
Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Trevor Short, Dallas Sonnier and Amanda Presmyk are executive producing.
