James Franco Joins Sylvester Stallone’s $819M Franchise Prequel

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James Franco is set to star in a new John Rambo movie. The film will explore the backstory of the iconic character previously played by Sylvester Stallone.

James Franco announced he’ll be appearing in the new John Rambo film while at the Cannes Film Festival. He described his part as “small” and didn’t offer any specifics about who he’ll be playing. Franco also mentioned to Deadline that he had just finished filming a major studio movie, though he doesn’t expect it to be released until late this year or sometime between spring and summer 2027.

John Rambo Has Wrapped Production

James Franco has completed filming a major action movie in Thailand, marking his biggest role in almost ten years. He stars alongside Noah Centineo (known from The Recruit), who plays a younger John Rambo, and Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things), who plays Major Trautman – a character originally portrayed by Richard Crenna and Rambo’s commanding officer.

Jelmari Helander (known for Sisu) is directing a new John Rambo movie that will explore the character’s origins, taking place before the events of the 1982 film First Blood. The cast includes Franco, Centineo, Harbour, as well as Yao (from 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).

Okay, so I just dug up some info on how this prequel came together. Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani actually wrote the script, which is cool. And a lot of big names were involved in getting it made – the Russo brothers (Anthony and Joe), Trevor Short, Dallas Sonnier, and Amanda Bresmyk all served as executive producers. On the producing side, you had Kevin King Templeton from Templeton Media, Jonathan Yunger from Millennium Media, Angela Russo-Otstot and Michael Disco from AGBO, and Les Weldon. It really sounds like a team effort!

James Franco Will Be Seen on the Big Screen in John Rambo

James Franco is well-known for his role as Harry Osborn in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, and he’s also appeared in films like Oz the Great and Powerful, Pineapple Express, The Disaster Artist, and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. In 2018, his career faced challenges when accusations of misconduct were made by women he had previously mentored, allegations he disputed. Recently, while at the Cannes Film Festival, he stated he has been concentrating on living a more positive life.

Recently, actor Gaspard Ulliel starred in films like The Prince of Money: A Largo Winch Adventure and had several other movies planned for release. These included a role as Fidel Castro in the biopic Castro’s Daughter, which tells the story of Alina Fernandez. He was also set to play a detective in Golden State Killer, a movie based on the hunt for the real-life serial killer.

John Rambo does not yet have a set release date.

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2026-05-16 23:23