Sylvester Stallone faces criticism for casting James Franco in new Rambo movie

James Franco’s Rambo casting sparks fresh controversy

By TCP News Desk Published July 24, 2026 at 11:48 PM GMT+5 Updated an hour ago
Sylvester Stallone faces criticism for casting James Franco in new Rambo movie
Sylvester Stallone faces criticism for casting James Franco in new Rambo movie

Sylvester Stallone recently faced backlash for casting James Franco in new Rambo movie.

The Rocky actor reportedly helped Franco his Hollywood comeback eight years after the Spider-Man actor hit with sexual misconduct allegations.

According to Radar Online, a source revealed that Stallone served as an executive producer for the upcoming Rambo movie.

Interestingly, another insider stated Franco took up a role as a villain in the new movie, starring Noah Centineo as the male protagonist and David Harbour as commanding officer Major Trautman.

“Casting James in this new Rambo movie is a risk, but Sly has built his entire career on making counterintuitive choices that pay off big down the road,” a source said.

An insider told the outlet that Sylvester “listens to his gut, and he acts accordingly and what Sly hasn't factored in is how disliked James still is among certain people in Hollywood, even James' powerful former friends like Seth”.

However, the source pointed out that this movie “is not being made for the Hollywood in-crowd”.

“It's being made for the generations of Rambo fans who want to see a fresh adventure with the character, and Sly's bet is that they won't care about the cloud of scandal that has followed James for the last several years,” they explained.

The source added, “James continues to maintain that he got a raw deal and the allegations are false. Sly is simply taking him on his word and backing that up by giving him a real shot at redemption.”

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