He has been recast in the role of a river pirate down from the role of a Burmese commander as reported earlier, said sources close to the former resistance member of the Shan State Army who was selected from among hundreds of applicants to take part in ‘Rambo IV: In the Serpent's Eye.’

According to sources who have seen the script written for him in Burmese, he is shot down by Rambo, played by Sylvester Stallone, during the hold-up of a group of Christian missionaries who are on their way along the Salween to deliver relief supplies to Karen villagers displaced by the war in Burma.

"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."

Other sources from the circle of migrants say the Burmese commander, who will be prominently featured throughout the story, is to be selected from among half a dozen applicants within the week.

"Whatever role I'm assigned to play," he reportedly promised, "I'm going to do my best."

According to the story line posted by the film crew, Rambo is hired by Christian missionaries while working as a snake hunter in Thailand to deliver medical and religious supplies to the persecuted Karens of Burma. The missionaries are captured and Rambo is saddled with the job of rescuing the surviving missionaries.

The film is to be shot in Chiangmai beginning next week.