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Millennium Media must’ve seen the last remaining fans on Twitter getting excited about The Hunger Games casting younger versions of old characters and said, why not us? On Monday, it was reported that the production company is in talks with Noah Centineo to star as young Rambo in the origin story John Rambo from director Jalmari Helander with a screenplay by writing duo Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani. None of the deals are finalized, according to Deadline, but Lionsgate—coincidentally, home of The Hunger Games—is reportedly the frontrunner to distribute the flick.
Sources for Deadline say that old Rambo, Sylvester Stallone, “was aware of the project but was not involved” after sharing a screenplay credit on all five of the previous films. The sources say he’s “been alerted to Centineo’s attachment,” an ominous statement particularly given Stallone’s public ire about not having control over the other franchise he made famous. But Stallone was once open to a young star taking the reins, musing in 2015 (via Empire Magazine), “It’s intriguing to find the whys and wherefores of how [people] have become what they are. The traumas, the loss and the tragedy of being in Vietnam would certainly be a great challenge for a young actor, and it would be ironic that Rambo directs younger Rambo having played it for twenty years plus….”
Sadly, they did not tap Rambo to direct younger Rambo, or to write it or have any involvement at all—so keep your eyes peeled for any disgruntled social media messages from Sly himself. The origin story will supposedly cover Rambo’s time in Vietnam, though, so perhaps Centineo’s recent turn in Alex Garland’s Warfare helped him secure the role. Earlier this year, Centineo’s Netflix series The Recruit was canceled. But he’s clearly got other irons in the fire, including a role in the upcoming Street Fighter adaptation opposite Jason Momoa. Should the Rambo origin story proceed, Deadline reports it will shoot early 2026 in Thailand.
