Despite being in his late 70s, Sylvester Stallone is not slowing down, and neither are his iconic characters. As the Italian Stallion embarks into the third season of Tulsa King, two of his biggest ever characters are living on elsewhere. As well as a movie about the making of Rocky heading our way, a Rambo prequel movie is also on the horizon.
However, rather shockingly, Stallone has zero involvement with the Rambo prequel. But this wasn’t always the case. So, what happened? Here’s everything we know.
Sylvester Stallone Had His Own Vision for the Rambo Prequel
Sylvester Stallone first stepped into the boots of tough-as-nails John Rambo in the 1982 blockbuster hit, First Blood. Becoming equally as iconic as Rocky Balboa, Sly capitalized and kept Rambo active up until 2019 with Rambo: Last Blood. While he stated this would be the last time playing the Vietnam war veteran, after the film generated a plethora of harsh reviews, it seemed he didn’t want to go out on a sour note. However, instead of writing yet another sequel, he expressed his desires to scribe a Rambo prequel project.
Now, this needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. Across his storied career, Stallone has discussed many projects that ultimately never came to fruition, including a Cobra reboot, a Cliffhanger sequel, and a Nighthawks re-work. And sadly for diehard fans of the Rambo films, this concept will never see the light of day either.
When speaking with ScreenRant, he explained his initial vision and how he planned on using AI, saying: “I wanted to do the first AI… not retroactive… but I wanted to rewrite history of the earlier Rambo because I wanted Rambo to be the nicest guy in the school, the valedictorian, the prom king, and all that stuff. And when he goes to Vietnam, he thinks it’s going to be a three-week hit-and-run, and you see him being tortured and captured, his friends murdered, one thing after another.”
Why Isn’t Stallone Involved With the New Movie?
Initially, Sylvester Stallone was juggling his concept between TV and film. When he was cast in Tulsa King in 2022 (making for his first leading role in a show), it seemed entirely plausible that he would stay in that medium. His idea would not solely focus on Rambo’s time at war, but also his high school years. This is something that the new Rambo prequel movie will not be exploring. This has led many to believe that there were creative clashes behind the scenes. However, the truth is that Stallone didn’t act fast enough, telling ScreenRant that he and his team “procrastinated too long and they took it over,”.
While Sly is known for being protective over his iconic characters, it seems there is no bad blood here, and he wishes the project good luck. As an Oscar-nominated screenwriter who still keeps his fingers on the keys, many assumed he would be involved in the creative process. However, it appears he is too busy with other projects. Tulsa King season 3 airs in September 2025 and a fourth season has already been greenlit. On top of this, Samuel L. Jackson is set to lead a spin off show called NOLA King, with Stallone slated to appear in that too.
Meet the New John Rambo
Sylvester Stallone hasn’t fully elaborated on what he meant by using AI for a Rambo prequel. However, we can assume he was looking to utilize the software to de-age himself and give the Green Beret hero one last adventure. Although de-ageing has rapidly advanced over the last few years, it’s hard to believe it would be succesful in making a man in his 70s look like a teenager. Instead, Noah Centineo will portray John Rambo.
Directed by Jalmari Helander (Sisu), the Rambo prequel will simply be titled John Rambo. The fresh-faced Centineo is known for supporting roles in movies like Black Adam, The Perfect Date, and Warfare, as well as TV shows like Good Trouble, and The Recruit. While he may seem an unconventional choice for the battle-hardened warrior, the casting represents a deliberate departure from Stallone’s grizzled veteran to explore Rambo’s transformation from idealistic young soldier to traumatized survivor. According to Deadline, the production is set to shoot in Thailand in early 2026 (not Vietnam as initially reported), with Lionsgate reportedly the frontrunner to distribute the film. The screenplay comes from the writing duo of Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani, who will need to craft a compelling origin story that honors the character’s legacy while offering fresh perspective on his Vietnam War experience.
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