As this year’s Cannes Film Festival continues to treat its guests to exciting screenings, great food, and gorgeous seaside vistas, celebrities are flocking to the event like moths to a flame. Among the crowd is James Franco (The Disaster Artist, Pineapple Express, 127 Hours), who says he’s got a small role coming up in the John Rambo prequel starring Noah Centineo.
Who else stars in John Rambo?
Sisu filmmaker Jalmari Helander directs John Rambo, an origin story taking place before 1982’s First Blood, the action classic starring a young Sylvester Stallone. Production for John Rambo is already wrapped, with David Harbour playing Rambo’s commanding officer Major Trautman, 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) rounding out the cast.
Franco’s role in John Rambo comes after a decade-long absence from big studio movies. While speaking with news outlets about his break from the spotlight, Franco said he’s been trying to live a “positive life” following a sexual misconduct scandal, leading to allegations of abuse of power and inappropriate behavior towards aspiring actresses at his now-defunct acting school. Franco denies the claims, but says the accusers raised important issues about abuse within the industry.
He also says John Rambo “won’t be ready for this summer, but my guess is it will be end of this year or spring-summer 2027.”
Stallone is involved
Although he won’t be playing the title role, Stallone has boarded the prequel as an executive producer. “Sylvester Stallone knows the character of John Rambo better than anyone, and Lionsgate has had the good fortune of partnering with Sly for more than 20 years on this legendary IP,” said Lionsgate’s Adam Fogelson. “His participation is the final, critical piece to John Rambo, and we’re thrilled to have his involvement.”
The Rambo franchise
Released in 1982, First Blood introduced the world to Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo. The first film is darker, moodier, and surprisingly tender, a far cry from the bullet-soaked sequels that followed. Stallone returned for Rambo: First Blood Part II, Rambo III, Rambo, and Rambo: Last Blood, meaning audiences have never seen anyone else in the role. So now the big question is whether Centineo can pull it off, especially since modern remakes of ’80s action icons usually crash and burn.
A 4K release with all five movies is on the way, which even includes a brand-new extended cut of Last Blood. It will be released on May 27.
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