Posted on 08/14/2025 10:51:36 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Actor Noah Centineo has been tapped to portray a young John Rambo in an upcoming prequel to the iconic action series. The project, titled John Rambo, will explore the character’s earlier years, with production expected to begin later this year in Thailand.
While the role was immortalized by Sylvester Stallone—whose portrayal defined the character and left an enduring mark on a generation of action fans—this new installment will tackle the question: can Rambo resonate without the actor who made him legendary?
Centineo, 29, first gained recognition on the Disney Channel show “Austin & Ally” before rising to prominence in Netflix’s popular “To All the Boys” romantic comedy series.
Most recently, he played rookie CIA lawyer Owen Hendricks in the spy drama “The Recruit”, which premiered in 2022. The series ended after two seasons earlier this year.
Centineo discusses “The Recruit’s” end and his next steps Speaking at the Los Angeles premiere of his film “Warfare,” Centineo addressed the show’s cancellation. He said Netflix had its own programming goals to meet and that the series no longer aligned with those needs.
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While he acknowledged disappointment, he expressed pride in the project and gratitude to the audience, noting it had developed a dedicated fan base.
In “The Recruit,” Centineo’s character became entangled in a high-stakes international conflict, marking a shift from his earlier comedic roles. His work in “Warfare,” directed by Alex Garland, further expanded his range. In the film, he played a gunner in a realistic depiction of an actual battle during the Iraq War.
Stallone’s legacy and absence from the prequel
Stallone brought John Rambo to the screen in five films: First Blood (1982), Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), Rambo III (1988), Rambo (2008), and Rambo: Last Blood (2019). Reports indicate the veteran actor is not involved in the upcoming production but has been informed about Centineo’s casting.
Stallone’s most recent appearance was in “Alarum,” an action-thriller about two married spies, played by Scott Eastwood and Willa Fitzgerald, who are suspected of going rogue. The film was panned by critics, earning a 0 percent score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes — the lowest of Stallone’s career.
His previous low was the 2014 comedy-thriller “Reach Me”, which received 4 percent on. Other poorly rated films include the 2018 sequel “Escape Plan 2: Hades”, at a 7 percent rating, and the drama “Backtrace” the same year, with 9 percent.
Critical and audience reception of recent projects Audience response to “Alarum” was similarly poor, with a score of just 20 percent. Two other Stallone films have fared even worse with viewers: “Escape Plan: The Extractors” (2019) has a 22% favorable rating, and the previously mentioned “Hades” has a 7 rating.
Following the last U.S. presidential election, Stallone publicly voiced his support for Donald Trump, calling the president a mythical figure and describing his election victory as an achievement that no one else in the world could have accomplished.
Exactly, there could be only one and that one was Sean.
Agree!
An argument could be made that First Blood was perhaps the first pro-solider movie made after Vietnam. Or at least the first one to be popular.
“Rambo 6000” and “Rambo -6000”. Who says we don’t have anything to look forward to in movies?
My memory is that SF required a GT of 115 at the time while OCS required a 110, now SF is 110.
Yes, but these are actor SF we are talking about. 80 may be too high.
Only those played by Sean Connery were Bond. The rest were fakes.
They should make a porno. Ramblow.
Green Jello. A classic. 😂
Do you know who sang “Not by the hairs of my chinny-chin-chin?”
Not to worry ... the creators and screenwriters will be replaced in short order by AI. Yikes!
That would be CaraGee:
See also played in "Strange Empire" as Kat Loving, and was quite good in that role.
EXACTLY!!!!!!
LOL, I know, but other than his low IQ homeless man dull speech, psychotic killer broken mental state, and destroying an innocent American town for no real reason, he was a very positive example of our patriotic American men who served us during the Vietnam War.
No idea.
I would have agreed before Daniel Craig came along.
Stallone is 79 years old. Rambo doesn’t need a walker or a daily dose of ensure to make it through the day. I thought we as a group thought boomers should let go and finally retire. There’s a great group ready to take their place.
I assume Rambo was a black disabled lesbian in this movie?
The lead singer of “Tool”.
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