First Look at the Rambo Prequel: Noah Centineo Takes Aim in Debut Poster

Rambo is getting an origin story. Lionsgate just turned the cameras on and dropped the first poster, and yes, young John Rambo is being played by Noah Centineo. If that pairing makes you tilt your head a little, same. But the team behind it is interesting, and the vibe they are selling is not a glossy reboot.

What we know so far

• Production is underway in Thailand, shooting across Bangkok, Krabi, Phang Nga, and Kanchanaburi.
• Noah Centineo is the lead, playing John Rambo before the events of First Blood.
• Director: Jalmari Helander, the Finnish filmmaker behind Sisu and Big Game - a guy who knows his way around stripped-down survival action.
• Cast includes Yao (Sinners), Jason Tobin (A Thousand Blows), Quincy Isaiah (Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty), Jefferson White (Yellowstone), and Tayme Thapthimthong (The White Lotus).
• The story is set years before First Blood, during Rambo's service in the Vietnam War, aiming to dig into the experiences that forged him.
• The first poster arrived via the official X account @JohnRamboFilm on Jan 29, 2026 - Jan 30 in Thailand - with the post confirming Centineo and that production has begun.
• Sylvester Stallone, who introduced Rambo in 1982's First Blood, is not currently involved. Producers have left the door open for him to appear down the line.
• This will be the sixth entry in the Rambo universe if you count the original five films, which most recently ended with Rambo: Last Blood in 2019.

If you were worried this would be a shiny spinoff with a red bandana and not much else, Helander is basically waving a flag that it is the opposite. The logline leans into a back-to-basics survival tale that tracks with Vietnam-era Rambo - more mud and endurance, less quips and catchphrases.

"When I was 11, I saw 'First Blood' for the first time, and it changed my life. Rambo was not just a film to me - it stayed with me growing up and pushed me toward filmmaking. This is Rambo stripped down, raw, and real - a survival story about endurance, persistence, and lost innocence."

Centineo stepping into Rambo's boots is the swing here. Casting aside, the Thailand locations make sense for the period and terrain, and Helander's Sisu bona fides suggest he will keep the movie lean and bruised rather than glossy. Stallone not being on board yet is notable, but the door being open tells you the studio knows exactly how much his shadow looms over this character.

The poster is just the starting pistol. With production running now, expect more looks at the tone and the young Rambo take soon - which is really what will make or break how fans feel about this one.