Noah Centineo Wants to Explore Rambo's Trauma in Prequel 'John Rambo'

Noah Centineo wants to explore "how John became Rambo" in the new film in the saga created by Sylvester Stallone. Announced as a prequel to Rambo: First Blood (1982), the John Rambo film should show the character's experiences in the Vietnam War, which transformed him into the tormented veteran we see in the original saga.

• Noah Centineo Says He'll Take the Criticism If Fans Don't Like 'Street Fighter'

Omelete spoke with the actor about the launch of his newest project, Street Fighter, and took the opportunity to discuss his expectations for taking on the role made famous by Stallone. Check out an excerpt from the conversation below.

OMELETE: This is an incredible moment for your career, with Street Fighter coming out and John Rambo coming right after. Why did you decide to accept this role, and what do you hope to reveal about Rambo in this film?

CENTINEO: I heard they were working on it and I was drawn to the idea, I wanted to meet the people involved. Jalmari Helander, who made Sisu, is a beast, and someone I really wanted to work with. For me, the most important thing was to understand why John Rambo became Rambo, this beloved character. We wanted to make a film that explained what happened to this young man to transform him into this person. For me, the most important thing is that monologue at the end of Rambo: First Blood, where he talks about the anguish, the trauma, how difficult it is to go home, to be called a baby killer and to try to hold down a regular job when you've been trained to be a war machine. For me, that was the guiding star: to take that anguish and channel it into this film to give some context and background to this person.

Street Fighter is currently showing in cinemas. John Rambo is scheduled to premiere on June 4, 2027.