Originally conceived by Sylvester Stallone as a way for him and some old action buddies to get back on the screen for some destructive team action, the ‘Expendables’ franchise has since spawned two more entries.
And now, after some disappointing box office results for the third and some creative drama behind the scenes, the fourth –– called ‘Expend4bles’ –– is finally on its way, with Stallone, Jason Statham, Randy Couture and Dolph Lundgren the remaining veterans.
Sylvester Stallone as Barney Ross in ‘The Expendables 4.’
What’s the story of ‘Expend4bles’?
A new generation of stars join the world’s top action stars for an adrenaline-fueled adventure in this new outing Reuniting as the team of elite mercenaries, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, and Sylvester Stallone are joined for the first time by some fresh faces (if one can truly call Andy Garcia a “fresh” face, though he’s still a welcome one.)
The Expendables are the world’s last line of defense and the team that gets called when all other options are off the table. But new team members with new styles and tactics are going to give “new blood” a whole new meaning.
And they’ll need every skill and bullet/knife/tank/plane they can scrounge up as, wouldn’t you know it? Terrorists have absconded with some nuclear weapons. And if the team can’t stop their evil plan, the result could be World War Three.
(L to R) Megan Fox, Andy García, and Jacob Scipio in ‘The Expendables 4.’
Related Article: Actor Andy Garcia Talks ‘Big Gold Brick’
Who are the new recruits?
New to the franchise are Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, and, as mentioned above, Andy Garcia.
‘The Raid’s Uwais is set to star as the villain, a former military officer with his own army and a side-line in arms dealing, something which the titular team will be hoping to put an end to in the only way they know how… by blowing everything up.
Fox, meanwhile, is clearly Lee Christmas’ (Statham) new romantic partner as well as his colleague, one with a particularly violent approach to foreplay.
Talking with UInterview, Couture discussed the new blood:
“Obviously there’s only four old Expendables characters left, and that’s me and Dolph [Lundgren] and [Jason] Statham and [Sylvester] Stallone. So, we added a whole new influx of new people. 50 Cent who I’ve worked with before and have a lot of respect for. Megan Fox which, was nice to meet somebody new. Andy Garcia who I’ve been a big fan of forever and has done some amazing work in the film industry. So, it was really fun to get to see him work and be around him.”
Not present this time? Bruce Willis, for entirely understandable reasons following his frontotemporal dementia diagnosis and subsequent retirement from acting. And Arnold Schwarzenegger has already confirmed he doesn’t appear, since he was busy with comedy action series ‘FUBAR’.
Jason Statham as Lee Christmas in ‘The Expendables 4.’
And Stallone, who has decided to also depart the franchise, will have a much-reduced role this time, passing the baton to Statham as offscreen producer and onscreen team leader.
Scott Waugh is directing, with the script credited to Kurt Wimmer, Tad Daggerhart (surely the most perfect name for an ‘Expendables’ writer) and Max Adams.
‘Expend4bles’ will smash into theaters on September 22nd.
(L to R) Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Levy Tran, Jacob Scipio in ‘The Expendables 4.’
Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson in ‘The Expendables 4.’
Iko Uwais in ‘The Expendables 4.’
‘The Expendables 4’ is scheduled to be released in the United States on September 22, 2023, by Lionsgate.
