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James Franco Joins Noah Centineo in 'John Rambo' Prequel Cast

James Franco has joined the cast of the 'John Rambo' prequel starring Noah Centineo. The film explores John Rambo's origin before 1982's 'First Blood' during his time as a soldier. David Harbour plays Major Trautman, Rambo's commanding officer, while Stallone serves as executive producer. Production has wrapped in Thailand, with Lionsgate handling distribution.

Key Points: James Franco Cast in 'John Rambo' Prequel with Noah Centineo

  • James Franco cast in 'John Rambo' prequel
  • Noah Centineo plays young Rambo
  • David Harbour as Major Trautman
  • Story set before 'First Blood' events
2 min read

James Franco comes on board for Noah Centineo starrer 'John Rambo' prequel

James Franco joins Noah Centineo and David Harbour in the 'John Rambo' prequel, exploring Rambo's origin before 'First Blood.'

"Sylvester Stallone knows the character of John Rambo better than anyone - Adam Fogelson"

Los Angeles, May 16

Actor James Franco has officially joined the cast of 'John Rambo' prequel.

According to Variety, Francis, who is currently at the Cannes Film Festival, will have a small role in the upcoming prequel. With his casting, the actor will join Noah Centineo's Rambo and David Harbour, who is set to play Rambo's commanding officer Major Trautman.

Directed by Jalmari Helander, the upcoming 'John Rambo' film follows the origin story of the franchise and takes place before 1982's Sylvester Stallone starrer 'First Blood' - the film which started the popular franchise. In the new movie, Noah Centineo will play a younger John Rambo during his days as a soldier fighting in the jungle.

'John Rambo' has currently wrapped production in Thailand.

Besides Centineo and Harbour, the film also features Yao, Jason Tobin, Quincy Isaiah, Jefferson White, and Tayme Thapthimthong.

With a screenplay from Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani, 'John Rambo' is produced by Lionsgate, Millennium Media, Templeton Media and AGBO.

It will be distributed by Lionsgate.

The producer list includes Kevin King Templeton for Templeton Media, Les Weldon and Jonathan Yunger for Millennium Media, and Angela Russo-Otstot and Michael Disco for AGBO.

Sylvester Stallone is attached as executive producer along with Anthony and Joe Russo, Trevor Short, Dallas Sonnier and Amanda Presmyk.

While Stallone famously portrayed the battle-hardened veteran John Rambo across five films, the actor will not appear on screen in the new chapter. Instead, the story will explore the character's life before the events of 'First Blood.'

Announcing Stallone's involvement, Adam Fogelson, chair of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, previously said the actor's participation brings valuable creative insight to the project.

"Sylvester Stallone knows the character of John Rambo better than anyone, and Lionsgate has had the good fortune of partnering with Sly for more than 20 years on this legendary IP. His participation is the final, critical piece to John Rambo, and we're thrilled to have his involvement," Fogelson said, as quoted by Deadline.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

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Priya S
Okay but Noah Centineo as a young Rambo? That's an interesting choice! He usually does rom-coms, so seeing him in an action war movie will be a big shift. James Franco cameo adds curiosity too. Let's see if they do justice to the jungle warfare scenes. 🎬
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Rohan X
Typical Hollywood trend – milk every franchise dry. First Blood was a masterpiece about PTSD, now they're turning it into generic action flick with big names. Stallone as exec producer gives hope, but I'm skeptical. Also, Thailand jungle setting is cool, at least.
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Sneha F
Not a huge fan of these prequels without the original actor. Stallone built the character over 5 films, and now they just skip him? Feels like a cash grab. But David Harbour as Trautman could be interesting – he has the authority and grit for it.
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Vikram M
Finally some news on this! I've been waiting for a prequel since they announced it last year. Love that they're shooting in Thailand – authentic jungle setting, no green screen nonsense. Centineo has the physique for a young soldier, let's see if he can channel that Stallone intensity. 😤
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Nikhil C
Why do they keep involving James Franco in projects? Controversies aside, his acting has been average lately. And Noah Centineo is too soft for Rambo. This feels like a recipe for disaster. Stallone should have just passed the torch properly instead of this half-hearted prequel.

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