James Franco has landed his highest-profile Hollywood franchise role in years.
The Palo Alto-born actor will appear in “John Rambo,” the upcoming “First Blood” prequel starring Noah Centineo as the young version of the Vietnam veteran made famous by Sylvester Stallone, Entertainment Weekly reported Wednesday, May 20.
Franco’s role is expected to be minor, but the film marks his first major franchise project since his brief appearance in 2017’s “Alien: Covenant.”
The casting news comes days after Franco told Deadline at the Cannes Film Festival that he had filmed a role in an unnamed “big studio movie” that he expected could be released late this year or in 2027.
“It won’t be ready for this summer, but my guess is it will be end of this year or spring-summer 2027,” Franco said.
“John Rambo” is directed by “Sisu” filmmaker Jalmari Helander and is expected to trace the origins of the character before the events of the 1982 film “First Blood.”
The cast also includes David Harbour, Yao and Jason Tobin, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Stallone, who originated the role and carried the franchise across five films, is executive producing the prequel.
For Franco, the movie represents another step in a gradual return to studio work after sexual misconduct allegations slowed his career.
Franco, 48, was accused in 2018 of sexual misconduct by five women, four of whom had been students at his now-closed Studio 4 acting school, according to People. Two former students later sued Franco and others connected to the school.
Franco and other defendants agreed in 2021 to pay more than $2.2 million to settle the lawsuit, according to court documents reported at the time. The settlement resolved the case without an admission of wrongdoing.
In a 2021 interview on “The Jess Cagle Show,” Franco acknowledged sleeping with students from his acting school but said he believed the encounters were consensual.
Franco has worked mostly in independent and European-financed films since the allegations, including “The Price of Money: A Largo Winch Adventure” and “Hey Joe,” both released in 2024.
At Cannes last week, he rejected the idea that he had been “hiding out.”
“I’ve been here the last three or four years running, selling things, and they treat me well, and I get to go and see great movies,” Franco told Deadline.
Asked whether he felt he had been treated unfairly, Franco said, “I don’t know. What am I going to do? I just go forward and try to live a positive life.”
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