Sylvester Stallone is passing the torch — but staying close. The three-time Oscar nominee has signed on as executive producer of ‘John Rambo’, Lionsgate’s upcoming prequel to the iconic action franchise he helped build over four decades.
It marks a first for the 78-year-old: despite writing all five previous installments and directing the 2008 entry, this is the first time Stallone has taken a producing credit on a Rambo film. Noah Centineo steps in as the younger John Rambo, with the story set in the events leading up to 1982’s ‘First Blood.’ Jalmari Helander, director of ‘Sisu,’ is at the helm, and the film is currently shooting in Bangkok, Thailand.
The cast also includes Yao, Quincy Isaiah, Jefferson White and Tayme Thapthimthong, among others. Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chair Adam Fogelson called Stallone’s involvement “the final, critical piece” to bringing the project together.