The S.H.A.N. article refers to the movie as "Rambo IV: In the Serpent's Eye", but IMDb and Wikipedia both say that title has been set aside in favor of "John Rambo". S.H.A.N also report that Rambo is working as a snake hunter in Thailand - not a salvager of scrap metal from old PT boats as has been reported so far. Perhaps "snake hunter" was found to be a more credible occupation for a 60-year-old veteran in Thailand? In these revised reports of the story line, Rambo is actually hired by the missionaries to help in delivering their humanitarian supplies, and not by a family member of the missionaries to rescue them after they are kidnapped.
Despite the impending filming, it seems the lead Burmese role, that of a Burmese commander, has not yet been cast.
"The company is still looking for a new person to play the role of the Burmese commander," Sai Mawng aka Harn Hser Mao, who resigned as a lieutenant last year was quoted as saying. "Maybe they think I don't look bloodthirsty enough."Harn Hser Mao, who was a lieutenant in the Shan State Army, was earlier reported to have been cast in that lead role, but according to sources who have read his Burmese script, he has been cast as a Burmese 'river pirate' who gets shot by Rambo during a hold-up of the Christian missionaries central to the story line.
Apparently the role of the Burmese commander, who "will be prominently featured", will be chosen from a pool of six or so applicants in the coming week.
I wonder if "actor" is one of the allowable occupations for those holding migrant work permits in Thailand? I felt obligated to watch this movie anyway, but knowing that it's likely a Shan rebel will be cast in a lead role as an evil Tatmadaw officer makes me kind of look forward to the release of this film. Maybe Harn Hser Mao or the other actors will even get their own entries on IMDb.