Well, this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.

It's been officially announced that a new Rambo film is in the works, with the action set to take place in Rambo's youth and will not have Sylvester Stallone directly involved.

According to a report by THR, the film's tentative title is Rambo: New Blood and will focus on a younger iteration of the character. It's not yet known if the film will be updated for the modern day or if it will remain in the '70s and '80s.

While both a writer and director have been attached to the film, there's no word yet on who'll be tying on the red bandana - but we've got a few suggestions, obviously.

Take a look.

 

5. NICHOLAS HOULT

Although he's an English actor, Nicholas Hoult could definitely work as a baby-faced John Rambo who eventually becomes the one-man-army that we all know. What made the 1971 source novel for Rambo so compelling was that, by all accounts, the character wasn't a violent man and didn't look or act it - until he was pushed. Since Hoult has played Hank McCoy / Beast so effectively in the X-Men franchise, he can tap into that same kind of inner, hidden rage.

 

 

4. KIT HARINGTON

Look, we'll admit that - when you boil it down - Kit Harington isn't a great actor. But, what he does have is presence and name recognition - and that says a lot. While we may all know Harrington as Jon Snow, there's definitely a sense that he is trying his damnedest to launch a film career off the back of Game of Thrones. Pompeii didn't exactly do what it was supposed to, but there is a sense that if he can get clear of all the swords-and-sandals stuff, he could really do something special.

 

3. TYLER HOECHLIN

Tyler Hoechlin turned up in one of our favourite films of this year, Everybody Wants Some!!, and has also been a regular cast member on MTV's Teen Wolf and is now playing Superman in CW's Supergirl too. You might also recognise him as the kid from Road To Perdition, but that was when he was a child actor. Everybody Wants Some!! proved that Hoechlin can command a scene pretty well and there's definitely a sense that all he needs is a leading role to get him over the edge - and Rambo could be it.

 

2. MICHAEL B. JORDAN

If the film and script is going to simply take the name of Rambo and the premise that it's a disaffected war veteran, then Michael B. Jordan should definitely be a strong contender for the role. Take Creed, as an example. It was more or less a beat-for-beat retelling of the first Rocky and demonstrated just how much screen presence Jordan has. It was an electric performance and truly marked out Jordan as a talent to watch. We know he's capable of doing action; Chronicle and the upcoming Black Panther film are testament to that, and he's on the rise as well. If it's a reinvention of the character, Michael B. Jordan is the best possible candidate for the role.

 

1. MILO VENTIMILIGA

We're tying Milo Ventimiliga and Michael B. Jordan for the two most logical choices - although Milo Ventimiliga as a choice is something of a cheat. For one, he does look exactly like Sylvester Stallone did in the '80s so it can work on that basis. Milo Ventimiliga also previously starred alongside him in Rocky Balboa, playing his estranged son. He's got the dark hair, the look, all of it - so why wouldn't he play him? Granted, he's 39 so he might be too old to play a young Rambo - but who knows, maybe it could be something else. By far, he's the most similar to Stallone and he's a pretty decent actor as well, so it all rests on what way the story will pan out. Will it be a prequel of the Sylvester Stallone films or is it a reinvention?

 

Got some choices of your own? Let us know in the comments and vote in our poll!