Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo Prequel Recasts OG Character With Stranger Things Star
A new star has joined John Rambo. Directed by Jalmari Helander, the upcoming Rambo prequel movie takes place prior to the events of 1982's First Blood, when Rambo was a Green Beret during the Vietnam War. Sylvester Stallone previously played the traumatized veteran, but Noah Centineo will take on the role in the upcoming film, with another star now having joined the cast. Per THR, Stranger Things star David Harbour has been cast in John Rambo as Major Trautman. Serving as Rambo's commanding officer and a source of stability for the former soldier, the role was previously played by Richard Crenna in First Blood and its two sequels.
Richard Crenna as Major Trautman in First Blood
Harbour joins a cast that includes Jefferson White, Jason Tobin, Quincy Isaiah, and Yao. Harbour is coming off of the release of Stranger Things season 5, which wrapped up the hit Netflix series at the end of last year. This year, Harbour voiced a character in GOAT and stars in the new series DTF St. Louis, which just aired its finale this past week. John Rambo represents a major project for Centineo, who remains best known for To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (2020), To All the Boys: Always and Forever (2021), and Netflix's The Recruit series. He's also appeared in Black Adam (2022), Warfare (2025), and Our Hero, Balthazar (2025).
While details about the upcoming Rambo movie remain relatively scarce, Helander made a splash in 2022 with the release of Sisu, a bloodsoaked and violent World War II movie. He most recently helmed that film's sequel, 2025's Sisu: Road to Revenge.
John Rambo entered production in Thailand this past January, with filming wrapping up in March. Thailand will evidently be used as a stand-in for Vietnam, with much of the film expected to take place during the Vietnam War when Rambo saw combat. No release date has been set just yet, but with filming having wrapped, a release late this year or at some point next year seems likely. Many questions remain about how John Rambo will continue the franchise after Stallone's departure with Rambo: Last Blood in 2019. A trailer is likely still some months away, but Harbour having joined the cast is certainly another reason the prequel is worth keeping an eye out for.
Director
Jalmari Helander
Writers
Rory Haines, Sohrab Noshirvani
Producers
Kevin King Templeton, Les Weldon, Michael Disco, Angela Russo-Otstot
