Sylvester Stallone may have stepped away from the Rambo franchise, but the actor isn’t quite ready to let go of his most iconic role. More than four decades after introducing John Rambo in First Blood (1982), Stallone revealed he pitched the idea of using artificial intelligence to de-age himself for a prequel.
“Everyone thought I was crazy,” the three-time Oscar nominee admitted on The Playlist’s Bingeworthy podcast. “AI is sophisticated enough to go through Saigon to see him at 18 years old and basically use the same image. So it isn’t as big a stretch.”
The concept comes as To All the Boys I've Loved Before star Noah Centineo is reportedly in talks to headline Millennium Media’s upcoming Rambo prequel. Directed by Jalmari Helander (Sisu), with a script by Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani (Black Adam), the film is set to dive into Rambo’s origin story during the Vietnam War.
While Stallone is not attached to the project, he is reportedly aware of the plans. Still, the veteran star had advice for whoever takes on the role: “It’s very, very hard. He may do a stellar job, but you’re overcoming this because I went through it with Get Carter. Everyone loves the original, and then you’re always fighting that prejudice.”
The prequel comes after five films led by Stallone, based on David Morrell’s 1972 novel First Blood. Collectively, the franchise has grossed more than $800 million worldwide, with the last entry, Rambo: Last Blood (2019), bringing in $92 million.
Production on the prequel is expected to begin in early 2026 in Thailand, with Lionsgate emerging as the frontrunner to distribute, after previously releasing the last two instalments.
