New John Rambo Movie: Stranger Things Star takes on a role

New cast member for the upcoming "Rambo" film: David Harbour will take on a role in the prequel "John Rambo" that fans of the series will likely recognize. The "Stranger Things" star is set to play Rambo's commanding officer, Major Trautman, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

In the first three films of the "Rambo" series, the character of Samuel Richard "Sam" Trautman was portrayed by Richard Crenna, who passed away in 2003 at the age of 76. For the protagonist John Rambo, Trautman served as a sort of mentor in the films. Now David Harbour will take on the role. The actor is best known for the horror-science-fiction series "Stranger Things." As Jim Hopper, he played a central role in the Netflix hit for five seasons.

John Rambo: David Harbour stars alongside Noah Centineo

Since then, Harbour's career has continued to gain momentum. Among other things, he caught the attention of a global cinema audience in the Marvel superhero film "Thunderbolts." Most recently, David Harbour appeared in the miniseries "DTF St. Louis"—with a performance that has him being touted as a potential contender for the next Emmy Awards.

In "John Rambo," he will appear alongside Noah Centineo. The latter takes on the title role previously portrayed by Sylvester Stallone. The reason: The prequel is set before the original 1982 film. The new film is set to show how John Rambo became the man we know from the later films. Thus, we see a protagonist who is significantly younger than the now 79-year-old Stallone. Centineo's profile could rise significantly thanks to the role of the famous action hero. So far, the actor has garnered attention for his lead role in the Netflix spy series "The Recruit," among other projects.

In addition to Centineo and Harbour, Yao, Jason Tobin, Quincy Isaiah, Jefferson White, and Tayme Thapthimthong have been named as other cast members of "John Rambo." Jalmari Helander is directing the "Rambo" prequel. The director is best known for his two "Sisu" action films. The good news: much like in the "Rambo" films, these also focus on a lone fighter—so Helander has experience with this kind of material. Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani wrote the screenplay for "John Rambo."

Sylvester Stallone is also involved in the new Rambo film

It was recently announced that Sylvester Stallone will also be involved in the new "Rambo" film—albeit behind the scenes. The Hollywood star is on board as an executive producer. He previously co-wrote the screenplay for several films in the series. He also took the director's chair for the 2008 sequel. However, he had not previously appeared as a producer on "Rambo." In a video clip posted on social media, Stallone wrote:

"Rambo has been part of my life for a very long time. A character built on resilience, survival, and the scars of war. He's meant a lot to me and to audiences around the world for decades. Now we're going back to where his story begins. I'm excited to be executive producing @JohnRamboFilm, exploring the early chapter of the man before the legend."

Stallone is in good company: Anthony and Joe Russo are also serving as executive producers. The duo knows a thing or two about box office hits. With their "Avengers" blockbusters, the two have directed two of the most commercially successful films of all time. "Avengers: Doomsday," the next potential Marvel hit directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, is set to premiere at the end of the year.

It's been a while since the last Rambo movie

The "Rambo" film series began in 1982. The film, released at that time, is based on David Morrell's novel "First Blood" and tells the story of Vietnam War veteran John Rambo, who finds himself in a small provincial town. There, he is soon harassed by police officers—leading to a bitter fight for survival. Two sequels followed in the 1980s. It wasn't until 2008 that the next sequel was released: this time, Stallone not only starred in the lead role but also directed the film. The latest installment to date was "Rambo: Last Blood" in 2019.