Lionsgate’s John Rambo prequel is steadily building its cast, with Stranger Things star David Harbour joining the cast as Major Trautman, the commanding officer and close friend of Noah Centineo’s titular hero.
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Harbour will join the film as Samuel Richard Trautman, a character portrayed by the late Richard Donald Crenna in the first three movies of the Rambo franchise. While the character was a Colonel in the original trilogy, Harbour will portray a younger version of the character with the rank of Major.
Centineo and Harbour will join their fellow castmates Yao, aka Thomas Pang (Sinners), Jason Tobin (Warrior), Quincy Isaiah (Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty), Jefferson White (Hellboy: The Crooked Man) and Tayme Thapthimthong (The White Lotus), all in yet-to-be-specified roles.
Directed by Jalmari Helander, who helmed both the Sisu films, John Rambo will take the audience back to the origins of Rambo, set years before the events of 1982’s First Blood. The film is set to dive deep into his roots, covering the experiences that shaped him to become the hardened and complex hero fans know and love, with the movie having wrapped production in Thailand in March.
Sylvester Stallone, who portrayed the character in the original and would go on to reprise the iconic role across five films, will serve as the prequel’s executive producer alongside Anthony and Joe Russo, Trevor Short, and Bonfire Legend’s Dallas Sonnier and Amanda Presmyk.
With Harbour joining the film as Trautman, John Rambo is set to not just explore the rise of the leading hero himself, but also his relationship with his commanding officer, who doubles up as both a mentor and a father figure, so hopefully their on-screen chemistry would live up to the legacy set by Crenna.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
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