The RAMBO Prequel Is Now Filming |

The Rambo Prequel Is Now Filming

The film is called John Rambo.

I distinctly remember First Blood when it was in theatres. I had just turned twelve, but couldn’t see it because it was Rated R. I had to wait for it to arrive on TV. Everyone was talking about the film as a great action piece that was absolutely gripping. It spawned a franchise for Stallone; James Cameron wrote the next one, which I do remember seeing in theatres and enjoyed just as much as the first. “Murdock — I’m coming to get you” has stuck with me. The third one was not so impactful.

First Blood was a meaningful and layered film. It focused on the experience of soldiers returning from Vietnam and how Americans at home treated them. It was one of the first stories that dealt with PTSD and how the government had used soldiers for their skills, and then cut them loose and ignored them when their usefulness had ended. Little thought was given to their mental health. You may not believe me, but Rambo did not directly kill anyone in First Blood. The only death was the crazy sniper (Galt) who fell from the helicopter. It was an action film, but deeply layered with thought and emotion. The antagonist — Sheriff Teasle — showcased a wonderful and nuanced performance by Brian Dennehy, a veteran himself (in real life as well) who was motivated based on his own values and beliefs. He wasn’t a crazy villain. It also featured an incredible Jerry Goldsmith score; here are the opening credits … I’m sure you’ll recognize the theme. Credit to YouTube channel David Aleksander.

I also read the source novel, First Blood, by David Morrell, which was fantastic.

Cut forward to the present. Production on John Rambo just started in Thailand, and it details Rambo’s early years during the Vietnam War before the events of Stallone’s watershed First Blood. John Rambo was a Green Beret during the war, working under Colonel Trautman — although I have no information about Trautman’s presence in this story. I’m postulating. The opportunities are endless … Rambo’s beginnings would make for a series of fantastic “Do or die missions.”

The movie stars Noah Centineo (Warfare, Black Adam) and is directed by Jalmari Helander (Sisu).

The studio (Lionsgate) has released a poster (below).

Here’s the IMDB listing for John Rambo. As more news arrives, I’ll post it here at Life After Gateway. Watch this space!

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A Blanket of Steel by Timothy S. Johnston and from Fitzhenry & Whiteside, LTD. is the recipient of the 2024 GLOBAL Thriller Award GRAND PRIZE and the 2024 CYGNUS Award First in Category.

— Timothy S. Johnston, 11 February 2026

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Praise for Timothy S. Johnston’s A Blanket of Steel

“Fans of Clive Cussler’s NUMA Files will be delighted with Timothy S. Johnston’s undersea novels. Truman McClusky and Dirk Pitt are cut from the same adventurer’s cloth.” — Nick Cutter, author of The Deep and The Troop

“Action that ranges from close range combat to torpedo-fueled attacks. The result is a thriller that keeps moving from confrontation to confrontation … with constant danger and the vast depths of the ocean as a setting, there is always reason to keep reading.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Read the book and prepare to be blown away by one of the best writers I have ever had the pleasure to read. Timothy S. Johnston is simply amazing.” — FIVE Stars from Readers’ Favorite

“A Blanket of Steel is not simply a ‘daring do’ thriller … It’s prescient.” — Amazing Stories

“A priority selection. An action-packed story that is hard to put down. A Blanket of Steel is outstanding.” — D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

“Innovative technology, Mac taking risks no one else would dare and thinking his way through to brilliant solutions … But the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been before. This is it. The countdown to the final battle … Johnston does an excellent job of keeping the tension taut as he plays with the reader’s perceptions of characters we thought we knew and trusted …” — SFcrowsnest

“Expect to be left breathless. Trust me here. Please. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.” — Michael Libling, author of The Serial Killer’s Son Takes A Wife and Hollywood North: A Novel in Six Reels

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A BLANKET OF STEEL is out now!

WATCH THE GRIPPING BOOK TRAILER HERE.

FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS CLICK HERE

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A Blanket of Steel from Timothy S. Johnston and Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Ltd.

Book Cover & Jacket Copy:

AN UNSTOPPABLE THREAT!

A mysterious assassin has murdered Cliff Sim, Chief Security Officer of the underwater colony, Trieste. Cliff was a mountain of a man, highly trained, and impossible to defeat in combat. And yet …

Someone brutally beat him and left his broken body in a secret Chinese facility at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

And included a calling card for Truman McClusky, Mayor of Trieste.

Taunting him.

Mac has led the underwater colonies in their fight against the world’s superpowers. Climate change has devastated the surface; nations suffer famine, drought, rebellion, rising waters, and apocalyptic coastal flooding. But now, as Mac leads the underwater colonies to freedom and independence, he’s faced with the gravest threat of his life: a Russian assassin, hellbent on killing Mac and everyone he cares for. Now Mac must uncover the identity of the killer, face him in combat, and at the same time lead people in battle against the largest underwater force ever assembled. It’s Mac’s final test, and to win the war, he must use every tool at his disposal, including the most surprising and devastating underwater weapons ever invented.

If Mac fails, all hope is lost for the future of human colonization on the ocean floors.

But the assassin could be anyone …

Watch your back, Mac.

A Blanket of Steel is the most gripping thriller yet in The Rise of Oceania.

FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS CLICK HERE

The other books in The Rise of Oceania series by Timothy S Johnston:

The War Beneath 9781771484718
The Savage Deeps 9781771485067
Fatal Depth 9781554555574
An Island of Light 9781554555819
The Shadow of War 9781554556007