00:00All these years I've kept my secrets, but the time has come to face my past.
00:07Sylvester Stallone, the original John Rambo and a three-time Oscar nominee,
00:11is officially joining the upcoming John Rambo prequel as an executive producer,
00:16working with Lionsgate, Millennium Media, and Agbo.
00:19This is actually the first time Stallone is stepping in as a producer on a Rambo film.
00:24John Rambo will be the sixth movie in the 44-year-old franchise,
00:28but Stallone won't be on screen this time since it's a prequel set before First Blood.
00:34It's a pretty big shift from how the series usually works.
00:37The Rambo franchise has basically been a gold standard for American action movies,
00:42all centered around John J. Rambo's intense journey.
00:45So far we've had five films, First Blood in 1982, Rambo First Blood Part 2 in 1985,
00:52Rambo III in 1988, Rambo in 2008, and Rambo Last Blood in 2019.
00:59The story follows Rambo, a former U.S. Army Special Forces soldier played by Stallone.
01:06His time in the Vietnam War left him deeply scarred, but also turned him into a deadly,
01:11highly skilled fighter.
01:12Across the movies, he ends up going against everything from corrupt officials to enemy armies
01:18and even drug cartels.
01:19And fun fact, the first movie was actually based on a 1972 novel by David Morell.
01:26Even though critics have been kind of mixed on the films,
01:29the franchise has still been a huge box office success,
01:32pulling in around $819 million worldwide.
01:36The biggest hit was Rambo First Blood Part 2, which alone made about $300 million.
01:41Stallone's been a major force behind the scenes too.
01:44He co-wrote all five movies and even directed the fourth one, Rambo.
01:48And over time, the franchise has expanded way beyond just films,
01:52with an animated series, comics, novels, and video games as well.
01:56Stallone has been the one and only Rambo across all five movies so far,
02:00but that's finally changing.
02:02In the upcoming prequel,
02:04Noah Centineo is stepping in to play a younger version of the iconic soldier.
02:09Naturally, Centineo's casting has people talking.
02:11Taking over a role that's so closely tied to Stallone isn't easy,
02:15and fans are a bit divided.
02:17He's definitely talented,
02:19but some aren't sure if he can match the gritty, tough action hero vibe
02:23that made Stallone such a legend back in the 80s.
02:27Prequels are already tricky to get right,
02:29and playing a younger version of such a well-known character just adds more pressure.
02:33That said, Centineo isn't new to action.
02:36He led the Netflix series The Recruit,
02:38and showed up as Atom Smasher in Black Adam.
02:41Plus, his role in the 2025 war film Warfare,
02:45directed by Alex Garland,
02:47might have given him the perfect prep for something like Rambo.
02:50And while Stallone won't be back on screen, he's still involved.
02:53He signed on as an executive producer for John Rambo.
02:57He even shared his reaction to the news on social media.
03:00He also captioned it with,
03:02Rambo has been part of my life for a very long time.
03:05A character built on resilience, survival, and the scars of war.
03:09He's meant a lot to me and to audiences around the world for decades.
03:12Now we're going back to where his story begins.
03:15I'm excited to be executive producing,
03:17exploring the early chapter of the man before the legend.
03:21The news comes after Stallone revealed in September
03:23that he had pitched a de-aged AI version of himself for a Rambo prequel.
03:28Everyone thought I was crazy, he said on the Playlist's binge-worthy podcast.
03:33AI is sophisticated enough to go through Saigon
03:35to see him at 18 years old and basically use the same image.
03:39So it isn't as big a stretch, he said at the time.
03:43Initial reports said that Stallone was aware of the film
03:45but would not be involved.
03:47Stallone offered the younger actor some cautionary advice
03:50in his comments from September, saying,
03:52It's very, very hard.
03:54He may do a stellar job, but you're overcoming this
03:56because I went through it with Get Carter.
03:58Everyone loves the original
04:00and then you're always fighting that prejudice.
04:02Adam Fogelson, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair, said,
04:06Sylvester Stallone knows the character of John Rambo better than anyone
04:10and Lionsgate has had the good fortune of partnering with Sly
04:13for more than 20 years on this legendary IP.
04:16His participation is the final critical piece to John Rambo
04:19and we're thrilled to have his involvement.
04:22The film is being directed by Yalmari Hellander,
04:24the guy behind the WW2 action movie Sisu,
04:28and he's clearly super passionate about taking on John Rambo.
04:31In a recent chat with The Hollywood Reporter,
04:34Hellander admitted it's a huge responsibility.
04:37He said making a Rambo film was a big deal for him
04:40and he's just focused on doing his best
04:42and hopefully making Stallone proud.
04:44He also shared a pretty personal story
04:46while announcing the poster.
04:48Apparently, he first watched First Blood when he was just 11
04:51and it completely changed his life.
04:53For him, Rambo wasn't just another movie.
04:55It stuck with him growing up and even inspired him to become a filmmaker.
04:59Now with this prequel, he wants to go back to the roots
05:02and show a more raw, stripped-down version of Rambo.
05:05He described it as a survival story focused on endurance,
05:08persistence, and lost innocence,
05:10while still respecting the legacy of the character.
05:13Lionsgate exec Erin Westerman also chimed in,
05:16saying they're excited to finally bring Rambo's origin story to the screen.
05:19She mentioned that the film will dive into his roots
05:22and what shaped him, while still delivering big action.
05:25She also hyped up Noah Centineo's performance,
05:28saying it'll show how Rambo became the legend fans know today.
05:32John Rambo also has a pretty solid supporting cast
05:34including Yao, known for Sinners,
05:36Jason Tobin, known for A Thousand Blows,
05:39Quincy Isaiah, known for Winning Time,
05:41Jefferson White, known for Yellowstone,
05:43and Tame Thapthimthong, known for The White Lotus.
05:46The movie announcement actually came after
05:48Lionsgate struck a big deal with Millennium Media
05:51that covers both the Rambo and the Expendables franchises.
05:54Basically, Lionsgate now has the rights
05:57to develop all kinds of spin-offs and related projects,
06:00movies, TV shows, and more,
06:01especially tied to the Expendables.
06:04They've also secured worldwide distribution rights
06:06for John Rambo, which will be the sixth film in the series.
06:10On top of that, Lionsgate will be the main studio
06:12working with Millennium Media on future Rambo TV projects,
06:16and could also be involved in upcoming films in the franchise.
06:19And it doesn't stop there.
06:21They can now expand the Expendables universe, too,
06:24with potential spin-offs across films, TV, video games,
06:28and even other interactive experiences.
06:31Production for John Rambo is expected to kick off next year in Thailand,
06:35with Lionsgate planning to start selling the film at the American film market.
06:38The movie is being produced by Millennium Media and Templeton Media,
06:42with the script written by Rory Haynes and Saurab Noshervani,
06:45who worked on The Mauritanian and Black Adam.
06:48Producers include Kevin King-Templeton, Les Weldon, and Jonathan Younger,
06:52while Dallas Sonier and Amanda Presmick from Bonfire Legend
06:55are on board as executive producers.
06:57This deal is a big step in growing Lionsgate's lineup of iconic action franchises
07:01and shows are focused on delivering top-tier content across different platforms,
07:05said Brian Goldsmith, COO of Lionsgate.
07:08We're really excited to bring fresh takes on The Expendables and Rambo for both movies and TV,
07:13and with John Rambo, we've got a strong creative team
07:16ready to reintroduce this classic character to a whole new generation.
07:20Jonathan Younger, president of Millennium Media, echoed that excitement,
07:24saying they've always believed in the long-term power of these franchises.
07:28According to him, this partnership gives them the scale and global reach they need,
07:32and Lionsgate is the perfect fit to help take The Expendables and Rambo into their next phase.
07:37Lionsgate already distributes all The Expendables movies,
07:40along with Rambo and Rambo Last Blood, in places like the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.
07:45They also handle distribution for the older Rambo films,
07:48First Blood, Rambo, First Blood Part II, and Rambo III,
07:51in regions like Latin America and Southeast Asia.
07:54The deal itself was worked out by Jim Goldsmith,
07:57along with Lionsgate execs Charlotte Coe and Christopher Davis.
08:00On Millennium Media's side, CEO Trevor Short and Jonathan Younger handled things.
08:05And yeah, that's pretty much everything for now.
08:07Let me know what you think, and don't forget to stick around.
08:10We'll definitely have more updates on this soon.
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