Earlier, we reported about Noah Centineo being attached to play the titular role in a film that tells the origin story of John Rambo, actor Sylvester Stallone's iconic character. The latest development about the project is that it has commenced principal photography in Bangkok. As reported earlier, Jalmari Helander, known for the Sisu franchise, is directing the John Rambo prequel from a screenplay by Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani. Lionsgate, which is attached to the film as its distributor, also announced its additional cast members the other day. The latest additions include Yao, who played Bo Chow in Ryan Coogler's Sinners, Yellowstone star Jefferson White, Jason Tobin of A Thousand Blows fame, Quincy Isaiah, known for Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, and The White Lotus actor Tayme Thapthimthong.

The film revives the world-renowned franchise, which also includes titles such as First Blood (1982) and its 1985 sequel, Rambo III (1988) and Rambo: Last Blood (2019). Helander reminisced about his first experience watching First Blood, the 1982 film that kickstarted the franchise, at a time when he was young. In a statement, the filmmaker wrote, "When I was 11, 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 was a defining influence on why I wanted to become a filmmaker." Helander went on to add, "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. 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."

Speaking recently to The Hollywood Reporter, the filmmaker raised expectations for the film by saying that he wants to make Stallone proud with the prequel.