Moviefone Editorial

Tag: david-morell

  • Noah Centineo Starring in ‘John Rambo’

    (Left) Noah Centineo stars in 'The Recruit.' (Right) Sylvester Stallone in 'First Blood'. Photo: Orion Pictures.
    (Left) Noah Centineo stars in ‘The Recruit.’ (Right) Sylvester Stallone in ‘First Blood’. Photo: Orion Pictures.

    Preview:

    • Noah Centineo has landed the lead in ‘John Rambo’.
    • He’ll play the character made famous by Sylvester Stallone.
    • Jalmari Helander is directing.

    You might recall that back in May, word arrived that Millennium Media was looking to turn back the clock on the story of John Rambo –– the troubled action character famously played by Sylvester Stallone –– for a new prequel pic called ‘John Rambo’.

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    According to Deadline, Noah Centineo, who has been seen in the likes of Netflix’s ‘The Recruit’, has now landed the role of the younger Rambo in the new movie.

    As for Stallone? The trade site reports that he’s aware of the new development, and Centineo’s attachment, but hasn’t yet decided to be involved in any capacity.

    What we do know is that Jalmari Helander, who made 2022’s action thriller ‘Sisu’, will be handling the movie, with a shoot set to kick off early next year in Thailand.

    Related Article: ‘John Rambo’: Prequel Movie to ‘First Blood’ in the Works at Millennium

    What’s the story of the ‘Rambo’ movies?

    Sylvester Stallone in 'First Blood'. Photo: Orion Pictures.
    Sylvester Stallone in ‘First Blood’. Photo: Orion Pictures.

    It’s worth remembering here that the character didn’t originate on the screen; Rambo was created by David Morell in his 1972 novel ‘First Blood.’

    The 1982 adaptation featured a script by Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim and Stallone, with Ted Kotcheff in the director’s chair, calling the shots (and explosions).

    Stallone starred as veteran Green Beret who is forced by a cruel sheriff and his deputies to flee into the mountains and wage an escalating one-man war against his pursuers.

    It was a gritty, stripped-down and smaller-scale entry compared to what the franchise evolved into with 1985’s ‘Rambo: First Blood Part II’ which blew things up into a much more blockbuster action level.

    That one saw Rambo returning to the jungles of Vietnam on a mission to infiltrate an enemy base-camp and rescue the American POWs still held captive there.

    The five movies in the franchise have generated more than $800 million worldwide. The most recent update, 2019’s ‘Rambo: Last Blood,’ produced by Millennium and Stallone’s Balboa company, made $92 million at the box office.

    As for the plot of the new one? It’ll focus on Rambo’s Vietnam days, but the specific story isn’t yet known beyond the team developing it, which includes ‘Black Adam’ writers Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani.

    And Centineo? His pertinent recent experience would be this year’s based-on-truth ‘Warfare’ co-directed by Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza, which chronicled a traumatic battle for Navy SEALS in Iraq.

    When will ‘John Rambo’ be on screens?

    The movie hasn’t yet landed a distributor, but Deadline’s report mentions that Lionsgate is he front-runner, having released the most recent two Rambo pics and worked with Helander on ‘Sisu’.

    Sylvester Stallone in 'First Blood'. Photo: Orion Pictures.
    Sylvester Stallone in ‘First Blood’. Photo: Orion Pictures.

    List of Movies in the ‘Rambo’ franchise:

    Buy Rambo Movies On Amazon

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  • ‘John Rambo’ Prequel Movie in the Works From Millennium

    Sylvester Stallone in 'First Blood'. Photo: Orion Pictures.
    Sylvester Stallone in ‘First Blood’. Photo: Orion Pictures.

    Preview:

    • A ‘Rambo’/‘First Blood’ prequel is in the works.
    • It’ll follow John Rambo’s days in Vietnam.
    • ‘Sisu’s Jalmari Helander is aboard to direct.

    We’ve reached a point where almost any major franchise is being looked at as something that needs all its narrative nooks and crannies filled in. And yes, there have been famous examples of prequels that added useful layers to movies that had gone before –– ‘The Godfather Part II’ is just one of them, and ‘Star Wars’ Disney+ series ‘Andor’ has done some immaculate work filling in the gaps before what we saw in 2016’s ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.’

    Word, however, via Deadline, arrives that the Rambo series kicked off by ‘First Blood’ in 1982, is in line for its own story of what happened before, makes us wonder whether the reasoning is truly to expand the story or simply to mine new potential profit from an existing franchise.

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    Especially since the new development comes from Millennium Media, which has rarely found an action premise it didn’t want to spin into a multi-movie story from ‘Olympus Has Fallen’ to the ‘The Expendables.’

    Still, it is going forward, with Millennium hiring Rory Haines and  (who worked on ‘Black Adam’) figuring out the script and ‘Sisu’ director Jalmari Helander gearing up to bring what is currently called ‘John Rambo’ to screens, with a shoot aimed for October in Thailand.

    Here’s what Millennium President Jonathan Yunger had to say about the new development:

    “We are thrilled to introduce a fresh new chapter to the ‘Rambo’ legacy. This project is a tribute to one of the best franchises in movie history that will appeal to both longtime fans and new audiences alike. With Jalmari Helander at the helm — a filmmaker of exceptional vision and energy — we’ve found the perfect director to deliver a high-concept action-packed experience.”

    And here’s Helander:

    “I have been the biggest fan of Rambo since the age of 11. It is so surreal to be in a situation where I can actually make my own ‘Rambo’ movie. The chain of events that got me here makes, in a fantastic way, my whole childhood make sense. I can’t wait to bring the greatest action hero back to the big screen where he belongs.”

    Related Article: 35 Best Sylvester Stallone Movies of All Time

    What’s the story of the ‘Rambo’ movies?

    Sylvester Stallone in 'First Blood'. Photo: Orion Pictures.
    Sylvester Stallone in ‘First Blood’. Photo: Orion Pictures.

    It’s worth remembering here that the character didn’t originate on the screen; Rambo was created by David Morell in his 1972 novel ‘First Blood.’

    The 1982 adaptation featured a script by Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim and Sylvester Stallone, with Ted Kotcheff in the director’s chair, calling the shots (and explosions).

    Stallone also starred as veteran Green Beret who is forced by a cruel sheriff and his deputies to flee into the mountains and wage an escalating one-man war against his pursuers.

    It was a gritty, stripped-down and smaller-scale entry compared to what the franchise evolved into with 1985’s ‘Rambo: First Blood Part II,’ which blew things up into a much more blockbuster action level.

    That one saw Rambo returning to the jungles of Vietnam on a mission to infiltrate an enemy base-camp and rescue the American POWs still held captive there.

    The five movies in the franchise have generated more than $800 million worldwide. The most recent update, 2019’s ‘Rambo: Last Blood,’ produced by Millennium and Stallone’s Balboa company, made $92 million at the box office.

    What would the story be for ‘John Rambo’?

    Filmmaker Jalmari Helander. Photo: Golden Globes Website.
    Filmmaker Jalmari Helander. Photo: Golden Globes Website.

    Little is known about specifics yet; beyond that it’ll follow the origin story of a young John Rambo during the Vietnam War. We know that some serious stuff went down for Rambo, so expecting to be both action-packed and traumatic for whoever gets the lead role.

    As to that question, no-one has been cast yet; the idea of someone trying to strap on Sly’s bandana is not an easy one. Plus, reactions to big prequels such as this are always mixed –– unless you get it right, it’s usually seen as a wasted opportunity.

    Helander at least feels like a solid pair of hands: ‘Sisu’ was very effective and he can clearly orchestrate action that also blends in emotion.

    Haines and Noshirvani are more of a concern, but they did also write the likes of 2021’s ‘The Mauritanian’ and worked on Prime Video series ‘The Informer.’

    And if you’re wondering whether the most recognizable person of the ‘Rambo’ movies –– Stallone –– is involved, Deadline’s story includes mention that he’s been made aware of the new development, but is not yet involved. The producers are reportedly hoping he might at least cameo, but don’t hold your breath.

    When will ‘John Rambo’ be in theaters?

    Millennium has the rights to the movie available at this year’s Cannes Market, and while we can certainly imagine interest in it, there is no distributor attached yet so no release date to report.

    Sylvester Stallone in 'First Blood'. Photo: Orion Pictures.
    Sylvester Stallone in ‘First Blood’. Photo: Orion Pictures.

    List of Movies in the ‘Rambo’ franchise:

    Buy Rambo Movies On Amazon

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