Noah Centineo is John Rambo in new prequel film – See the cast

John Rambo is being called back into action.

A prequel film on the war hero's origin story has begun production in Bangkok, Lionsgate has announced. "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" actor Noah Centineo, who is also set to star in the upcoming "Street Fighter" adaptation in October, will lead "John Rambo" as the battle‑hardened former Special Forces soldier and Vietnam War veteran originated by Sylvester Stallone. The film will dive "deep into the roots and experiences that forged one of the big screen's most enduring and complex characters," according to a release.

Directed by Jalmari Helander with screenwriters Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani, the movie will be set years before the events of 1982's "First Blood." Stallone, 79, starred in the following four films, including 2019's "Rambo: Last Blood."

Helander, writer and director of the 2022 action-war film "Sisu" and its sequel, 2025's "Sisu: Road to Revenge," said the original Rambo film is what made him interested in being a director.

"When I was eleven, I saw 'First Blood' for the first time, and it changed my life. Rambo wasn't just a film to me – it stayed with me growing up and war a defining influence on why I wanted to become a filmmaker," he wrote, per the release. "As we begin production on the origin of John Rambo, we're going back to the beginning. This is Rambo stripped down, raw, and real – a survival story about endurance, persistence, and lost innocence."

He continued: "It's an honor to shape this next chapter with deep respect for the character and the legacy, and to bring audiences the start of John Rambo's journey."

Anthony and Joe Russo ("Avengers," "Captain America") and Trevor Short (The "Expendables" franchise) are among the producers.

John Rambo cast

• Noah Centineo as John Rambo ("To All the Boys I've Loved Before," Street Fighter")
• Yao ("Sinners")
• Jason Tobin ("A Thousand Blows")
• Quincy Isaiah ("Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty")
• Jefferson White ("Yellowstone")
• Tayme Thapthimthong ("The White Lotus")