It's finally happening!
THE EXPENDABLES 4 is filming in October. THE EXPENDABLES 4? Well, kind of. The final title is still to be announced but right now the movie is referenced as either THE EXPENDABLES: A CHRISTMAS STORY or THE EXPENDABLES 4: A CHRISTMAS STORY. It's described as a spin-off with Jason Statham's character "Lee Christmas" taking center stage.
A spin-off? The fourth movie very often was labelled as very possibly the final entry in the series. So why not doing a proper EX4? Sly and the rest of the gang are on set come October. Why not going out with a bang?
In a comment on the StalloneZone forum Sly voiced his dissatisfaction with the CGI and the locations in the franchise (probably meaning EX2 and EX3). Pair that with an argument between Stallone and producer Avi Lerner a few years ago regarding the future of the EX franchise it could very well be Stallone is not willing to throw himself fully into one more mercenerary romp and is saying goodbye to the franchise for good.
It's clear now that "Barney Ross" will have more of a supporting role in the new movie. How big nobody knows though. We'll get some clues when filming begins. Will he be on set for a few days only which would possibly lead to a screen time of maybe 20 minutes (ESCAPE PLAN 2: HADES comes to mind) or more? Or even less? When asked on the StalloneZone forum how big a role it will be Sly cryptically answered "In and out" and "Don't blink". Could it even be just one or two scenes? These scenes were described as emotional in an article on theilluminerdi.com. So what are the odds that Barney Ross will even die in this one?
Is Sly really ready to leave this franchise behind? Another ROCKY seems unlikely at this point due to the fact that MGM and Irwin Winkler want to concentrate on the CREED franchise, in particular "Adonis Creed". CREED III hits November 2022 without Sly.
Stallone hinted at another RAMBO a few weeks back so that is still in the cards.
THE EXPENDABLES series though could remain his go-to franchise over the next few years even at his age. Keep the budgets at $50-70 million (not the $100 million they spent for EX1-EX2-EX3) and the movies could always make some profit.
"Barney Ross" could take on a mentor role in future entries with reduced screen time. But maybe Sly really wants out for good and wants to concentrate on original projects like SAMARITAN which will be released next summer and was getting great reactions at CinemaCon this week when MGM showed the first trailer.
So let's assume "Barney" is out of the picture (Where did I hear this before? I can't remember. What a Drummer, I mean bummer...). Will A CHRISTMAS STORY really be the final act? Much of it depends on the movie's success of course. If it tanks or disappoints at the box office then that'll probably be it.
But what if it does decent business? Avi Lerner likes franchises. He probably likes money even more (The first three movies made $804 million at the worldwide box office). Lundgren, Snipes, or Couture will be there if an EX5 was made. Statham? With Sly's blessing to continue on without him and if the money's right I see him continue. It's always good to have a franchise!
But even with Statham quitting I think Lerner might continue with Lundgren, Snipes, etc. Probably not as theatrical movies but as DTVs or movies produced for a streaming service. The budgets will be considerably smaller, the action not as grand but the name THE EXPENDABLES alone might be enough to attract viewers. The movie starts, the theme plays BAM BAM DADADAMDAM DADADA BAM BAM... Hell, I'd watch that...!
But first let's enjoy the next months with more casting news, set pics, a teaser, a trailer and finally the movie. And Sly's in it. That's all I need at the moment!
Boom-lay boom-lay boom!
Nice article! What an entry PM 😉
ReplyDeleteThanks. Somehow I couldn't warm to PM, so I changed it to Patrick. Just as on the StalloneZone.
DeleteNice write up. Good to see the blog getting back into writing articles
ReplyDeleteGood article.
ReplyDeleteEverything is not very clear started with this title and this idea of a sequel or Spin Off ?
A few years ago at the time of the officialization of EX4 we were talking about a partnership with China and 100 million budget, a shooting there and more...
And now ?
If it is indeed a Spin Off and in view of Sly's reaction, my opinion it will be at the beginning with a big action scene and maybe at the end to pass the torch definitively to Statham.
What is a shame is not having the possibility of making a last real big film, with the means in FX and in filming locations, to bring additional iconic actors even in simple cameo (in the image from the first movie) such as Russell or Seagal or Eastwood for example ... not to mention my dream of having The Rock (or I know, I fantasize. lol).
In short, let's wait to see the news of the next few weeks and despite everything I hope for a good big last movie and especially much better than the third !
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe "In and out" response from Sly was regarding Hunter. I don't think Sly will only film a few days for EX4. even in a reduced role, he will likely be on set for several weeks. At least, I hope!
ReplyDeleteRegardless of location I think Sly was not happy with the direction the franchise was taking. It was obvious that he had realized the big mistake they made on EX3 and wanted to correct it on EX4 but Avi is not letting him.
Delete