David Harbour joins Rambo prequel

David Harbour has joined the cast of *John Rambo*, the prequel to *First Blood*, and will play Major Trautman opposite Noah Centineo’s younger John Rambo. (deadline.com) Deadline and Variety reported the casting on April 17, 2026, identifying Harbour as the new actor in the role Richard Crenna played in the first three *Rambo* films. (deadline.com) (variety.com) The film is directed by Jalmari Helander, the Finnish filmmaker behind *Sisu*, and written by Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani. Lionsgate and Millennium Media are backing the project, with Templeton Media and AGBO also involved. (deadline.com) (hollywoodreporter.com) Centineo’s casting was first reported in August 2025, when Deadline said the movie would tell the origin story of the character Sylvester Stallone introduced in *First Blood* in 1982. Stallone is not starring in the prequel, but trade reports have tied him to the project as an executive producer. (deadline.com 1) (deadline.com 2) Trautman is one of the franchise’s central figures because he is the officer who trained and later defended Rambo in the original films. Recasting that role gives the prequel a direct link to the earlier movies beyond the title character alone. (deadline.com) (variety.com) Production was already underway by January 29, 2026, when Deadline reported filming had started in Bangkok, Thailand, and announced additional cast members including Yao, Jason Tobin, Quincy Isaiah, Jefferson White and Tayme Thapthimthong. Harbour’s addition came later, after that initial production start. (deadline.com 1) (deadline.com 2) The project is one of several recent attempts to extend 1980s action franchises by moving backward in the timeline and recasting younger leads. In this case, the studio is building a film around Rambo before the events that made him a drifter in *First Blood*. (deadline.com) (variety.com) No release date has been announced, but the casting of Harbour as Trautman suggests *John Rambo* is moving from a simple origin setup toward a fuller recreation of the franchise’s core relationship. (deadline.com) (ign.com)