More Hints to EX4

After a couple of hints by Sly & Couture early this month, more hints to an upcoming EX4 have been captured in interviews with Lundgren and the franchise's producer Avi Lerner.

In a sport related interview, Lundgren mentions that he is working with Sly on "possibly an Expendables 4".

And in an interview during this year's Cannes festival, Lerner mentions that another Expendables movie is part of his upcoming projects.

We seem to be getting closer to EX4...

Couture: EX4 Filming in the Summer

Couture is at it again. In an interview with MMA Core, he shared that  there is a script for EX4 that he’s excited to read, and that filming should start in the summer. He further shares that things have been going back and forth with Sly for the past couple of years, who was busy with Escape Plan, Creed and Rambo but has now come around and ready to shoot EX4. 

It's not the first time that Couture has given out info on production dates that did not transpire, but given the recent hypes around the movie, he might be right  this time.

Sly (Kinda) Reconfirms EX4

Promoting Rambo 5 and Rocky 7!!! on his Instagram, Sly confirmed back to an EX4 craving fan that  the upcoming installment will be the best in the series and that we had to be patient. Easy for you to say Sly, we’ve been patient since 2015!

Stallone in Tunisia to scout for EX4?!

A Tunisian news outlet has reported today that Stallone & Lundgren will be soon coming to their country to scout locations for the filming of EX4. The reliability of the news is obviously questionable but could also be true, timing is in line with previous reports of an April production start date. Here's the translation of the article pertaining to EX4.

The two world stars will enjoy their stay in southern Tunisia to scout locations for their film "The Expendables 4".

Taking advantage of his friendship with the great Swedish actor Dolph Lundgren, the world champion of Karate, Sadok Kouka, took the initiative to invite his childhood friend for the third time to Tunisia.
"Dolph has been my friend for 25 years...

"It's official, then, these two sacred monsters of the American cinema will be, on March 25, in Kantaoui for two days, before moving to Tozeur to scout filming locations " said Sadok Kouka.

Jet Li/Mickey Rourke Had Bigger Roles with Plans To Film Scenes In China

HN Entertainment’s Nicholas Whitcomb recently spoke with screenwriter Richard Wenk (The Equalizer 1-2, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, Kraven The Hunter) about his previous work on The Expendables franchise specifically his work on The Expendables 2. Richard revealed that Mickey Rourke’s role was given to Liam Hemsworth and Jet Li had a scaled-back subplot due to the production losing an offer to film a segment of the film in China (something that has been rumored for The Expendables 4 for years).

HN: I did want to touch upon The Expendables 2, what was it like I guess working with Sly [Stallone] on that sequel? How did that project come to you?

WENK: “It came to me through the director Simon West, who I had written a movie for previously called The Mechanic and he was hired to do The Expendables 2 and called me. I met with Sly [Stallone] and he was very gracious, open, and allowing me the freedom to create the story and the additional characters that I thought would be needed for the second movie.”

“Those movies are puzzle pieces, who is going to be in them, and how long? What’s the driving inciting incident and all those things with the creator, which is Sly. But I worked with Simon [West] on the size and scope of the movie and the action blocks and things like that.”

HN: Was there anything major you had to cut from the film? Perhaps, like a cameo or an actor you couldn’t work in there? 

WENK: “Originally, Mickey Rourke was in the movie, then he wasn’t. That facilitated the creation of the [Liam] Hemsworth character, the additional character.”

“I can tell you that the original script called for a big chunk of the movie to take place in China and at the last minute China decided to rescind their offer to shoot there. We had to come up with a way of having Jet Li stay in China when they never actually went to China.”

“It was actually Sly’s idea to have him just jump out of the plane over China. Those are the kind of things that you’re flying by the seat of your pants and you’re like ‘What do we now?… Cause the rest of the script Jet Li’s not in it’. There was a whole subplot they brought these Chinese businessmen home and he decided he wanted to stay home with his family, that was all in the script. It was Sly’s idea to just open the bottom of the plane and have him leap out.”

When asked about ideas for the possible fourth film Wenk suggest maybe scaling back the cameos and number of characters to the original two movies that focused on the main core of guys.

WENK: “If I were the boss of The Expendables franchise I’d circle back to the origins of it I think it feels like I’ve attached myself to the core group of guys and what I liked about doing the second one it didn’t really expand into the Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, Antonio Banderas additions. It was sort of living with the original concept that Sly came up with and I would probably circle back and have it a little more like that. I think it kind of expanded beyond, it kind of jumped-the-shark a little bit and I think the best action movies are the best [when] you attach yourself to certain characters and when you have too many or it gets too loud, you’re less engaged. So, for me, I’d tie it back.”

“Those are the key characters we fell in love with and want to follow and I think in the second one with the addition of the cameo of Chuck Norris was a nice wink to that time [the era of 1980’s action films], it was organic to the story it didn’t intrude. I’m a big believer of sticking with what got ya there and their interpersonal relationships.” 

EX4 to Start in April?

 
Although still questionable, this Bulgarian website claims that filming of EX4 should begin in April in Bulgaria as previously speculated by many other reports and various outlets. 

April is only less than 2 months away and no official word has come out of anyone's mouth yet.

EX4 Script Is In!!!

Not sure how this has been missed by anyone on the internet...Gregory Poirier seems to have finished the script of EX4 at the end of July already!! He actually posted it on his Twitter account: "Expendables 4 script is in. Watch this space for more details. #Expendables".

Does this mean it's finally happening? Latest news of Sly's next projects seem to point to the direction of other movies such as Samaritan or Hunter. Will Sly make EX4 before heading to doing his own projects? I for one am tired of waiting until this project happens...

EX4 Getting Closer to Reality

Since Stallone has started his preparation for Rambo 5 - to be filmed in Bulgaria - the news outlets in the country have begun reporting on the star and his future trips to Bulgaria. 24 Chasa, one of the most reputable news outlets there is reporting that EX4 will indeed begin filming in Bulgaria in April.

Other semi-confirmation is Gregory Poirier's twitter page where he's now listing EX4 as one of his current projects. It was reported in the past that Poirier would team up with Sly to write the script for the fourth installment. 

EX4 Back on Track for NOW!

After six months of doubtful news including a Couture type of hint to the filming start date, there is a more solid confirmation of the EX4 project being back on track.

According to Deadline Stallone will return for Rambo 5 in September 2018 and star in The Expendables 4 in early 2019. Apparently the Chinese exhibition giant Dadi has pre-bought mainland China distribution rights to Sylvester Stallone-fronted action sequels The Expendables 4 and Rambo 5 from Avi Lerner’s Millenium Media.

I remain skeptical until the project starts filming and we see set photos. A similar deal was announced in October 2015 and then fell apart. in December 2016 a distributor bought the rights to EX4 in Germany but again nothing followed and Sly backed out of the project entirely in March 2017 before he was convinced late last year to return.

There is no question that Avi is trying hard to make the project take off but the stars have not been lining up for him. Maybe this time...

Looks Like EX4 Is Actually Happening Again!

After a few “not sure what to think of” posts on Instagram, Sly has now posted a rather firmer confirmation that EX4 is back on track by teasing the return of Barney. Something must be cooking for Sly to hype EX4 in such a fashion. His Christmas picture with Avi and now his series of posts on Instagram insinuating the return of the Expendables team doesn’t seem to be a coincidence any longer or some sort of a wishful thinking on the action icon’s part. It looks like it’s finally happening or at least there is intent of making it happen again. It’d better be, they’ve been teasing it for over 2 years!!

A Glimpse of Hope?

I don't even feel like updating the blog anymore as I've come to believe that this project is dead for good. But again now and then there's a glimpse of hope that things might be back on track. This was the case last week with first a picture of Sly & Avi appearing together in a Christmas family reunion maybe telling us that they are at least somehow friends again? Or talking some serious EX4 deal? And then Sly for the one millionth time posted a couple of  teasers on his Instagram saying that he was getting back into action shape despite being old, and that old school action was coming back. Go figure.

Maybe it doesn't mean anything as always but like I said, there is maybe a glimpse of hope...

EX4 Back On With Sly?!

After a long silence since Avi's announcement of Sly's exit from the EX4 movie, over a week ago, a number of hints were thrown at fans  by Sly on his Instagram page, implying his return to the project. 

First an ambiguous hint that the Expendables were about to get " ... Very Dark" .... Again... and then a week later he posted a childhood picture of himself, Arnold, Willis and Van Damme, promising that "the boys were back in town! " all together!". 

Fans who have known Sly over the years know best how famous he is for teasing upcoming projects that often don't realize. 

A couple of days ago a video appeared online in which Sly confirms that EX4 is "gonna happen". Not sure how old and real this video is but if it is, then maybe there is hope for the project to be truly back on track with its originals cast members. At this point after so many controversies and cancellations over the 2 years since it was first announced, it's hard to trust anything until production kicks off...but stay tuned, you never know.

EX4 Moving Ahead Without Sly!

It's finally confirmed by Avi himself - EX4 will be moving ahead without Sly, it's official, Sly is out of the EX franchise. Here's what Avi had to say:

THR: Sylvester Stallone said there will be no more Expendables with him.

Avi: Well, that's what he said last time.

THR: You think there might be another?

Avi: Not with Sylvester. There will be more Expendables, but not with him. Sly wanted to produce the movie, and I don't think he can produce the movie. He's a good actor. He's a good writer. But he's not a good producer. And I didn't want to give him $100 million to produce.

THR: Are you still friends with him?

Avi: Obviously less. But I respect him. I think he's one of the icons of the world. You know, without being too mean, I took him when he was down, when nobody wanted to hire him, and I gave him Rambo and The Expendables. I think I gave him a new life.

THR: So you're not doing Expendables 4?

Avi: We will do Expendables 4, without Sylvester Stallone. We've got a script. We're working on it. Look, Batman, they changed the guys. Spider-Man. You name it.

THR: What's the biggest-budget movie you've made?

Avi: Expendables 3 was $80 million.

THR: What's the most you've paid an actor?

Avi: Twenty million. Sylvester Stallone. We were going to pay him that for Expendables 4.

THR: What's next?

Avi: We are going to do Hellboy [and] Expendables 4 next year. We're doing Expendabelles. It will be 10 big female names. We're doing Angel Is Fallen, we're shooting a movie called #211 with Nicolas Cage, and we just finished a movie called Stoic with Antonio Banderas.

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So that's it...it's kind of sad. I can't imagine the EX franchise without Sly but I'm willing to give it a chance if they make it a quality production keeping the original concept, no young Expendables please.

Personally I think it will not draw the same amount of crowd without Sly and Arnold (who said would be totally out without Sly), but who knows, he might accept to return if Avi gives him the lead role and more money. Now anything could happen, Avi seems to be determined to get the 4th installment going. 

The other point where I believe Avi is overly optimistic about is when he compares the EX franchise with Batman or Spider-Man. It's an interesting and disconnected perspective that he carries. I believe there was some comparison when they were promoting EX3 to the Avengers as well!! People go see Batman for Batman not so much for the guy behind the mask, same for Spider-Man or any comic book superhero, that's why you can keep recycling the actors. The concept and context remain the same no matter who plays the character (of course people have preferences, Bale over Kilmer, or Keaton over Clooney, etc.) but they still go see Batman. The EX franchise is based off a unique concept of assembling old time action icons i.e. Sly, Arnold, Willis and Co. You can't replace them by new actors, people go see the Expendables for the men behind the action not so much the characters in the movie. You can't replace Sly or Arnold...

That being said, if Avi remains authentic to the original concept and is able to keep Statham on board, give Arnold more money and one of the lead roles, bring Willis back, make peace with Seagal, add other action Stars such as Jaa, Yen, Chan (unlikely as he's already doing a project with Sly and has never been a big fan of cameos, unless he also gets a lead role with some hefty money), bring Van Damme back in some new capacity, get Russell (he's taking any ensemble role nowadays) or even add some newer action guys such as Johnson (unlikely to happen but Avi has the money now since Sly's $20M is up for grab and money talks in Hollywood) or Diesel (he might actually do it for $20M); then we might be going somewhere here...knowing Avi's track record, what I'm wishing for here is probably optimistic on my part!

EX4 Cannes Poster

A glimpse of news. A poster of EX4 has been identified as what seems to be a promotional item for Cannes. It looks to be legitimate but the question is how realistic is it for Avi & Co. to sell EX4 to distributors at Cannes knowing that Sly has declined to take part (so far) as there hasn't been any news of the contrary.

The other interesting point is the cast. Only Sly, Statham & Banderas appear on the poster whereas in the past Li was always promoted even when there was no definite negotiation for his participation. It looks thin and I wonder whether we'll have EX4 at all and if yes will any of the heavyweight action stars be in it?

EX4 Now or Never!

There has never been a better time to make an EX movie. If Avi has some good business sense he will put his ego and differences with Sly aside and work things out to get EX4 going. This is probably his best window of opportunity to leverage the star power momentum building up around some of the main cast members of the franchise - namely Statham, Sly and Lundgren.

Statham has seen his star power propulsed thanks to the mega success of the 8th FF, and a spin off movie focusing on his character (and Johnson's) is being widely talked about. He is now a well recognized star worldwide and should enjoy that status over the next few years with the FF franchise.   

Sly is set to appear in the upcoming GOTG2 a guaranteed blockbuster. He should be getting a fair amount of publicity over the next while and his star power could keep going up. He's being talked about to play a major role in the upcoming instalment and maybe even in the Avengers series. He has once again risen from the ashes.

Lundgren was recently confirmed to appear in the next DC Aquaman and has received a lot of attention. It is still to be seen whether his momentum will be sustainable over time but for now and until Aquaman is released he should enjoy some comeback.

Now you have 3 EX actors attracting a new fan base from the FF, Marvel and DC universes - put them together in a movie and you could bank on a fairly strong amount of interest and publicity if timing is right, which should be now or it might just be too late.

So Avi what are you waiting for? This is the time, the franchise has never had so many of its cast members enjoy this much publicity and attention at the same time. Don't waste the opportunity.

Now Lee Christmas!

Something's cooking up. I wonder why EX's FB keeps posting these new artworks of the EX characters? Started with Barney and it's Lee's turn now! Like I said I like them, just hope it means they are refreshing fan's memories to prep them for the upcoming installment. 

EX FB Still Active!

While contradictory news & rumors about a fourth installment of the The Expendables keep frustrating fans, the franchise's official FB page keeps posting new artworks teasing the same fans I imagine. Not sure what to think of it but here I found the newest artwork posted on the website and it's kinda nice...I just hope we get an official announcement soon, totally getting pissed and impatient.

Sly Open to Reconsidering EX4

It looks like Sly is not completely closing the door to Avi. Asked by TMZ if he was open to doing EX4, he quickly replied "Absolutely". And further added that some bumps have to be taken out of the road.

TMZ further claims that they got some other actors from the "Expendables" franchise earlier this week -- including Wesley Snipes and Dolph Lundgren, both of whom said they wouldn't do 4 without Sly.

Avi, you heard the man, take those bumps out and bring the movie back to life.

Arnold: Never EX4 without Sly

Looks like Arnold thinks like many of us fans out there and won't be doing EX4 without Sly.

He told EW that he will not appear in The Expendables 4 without Sylvester Stallone, who has reportedly departed from the action sequel. “There is no Expendables without Sly,” says the Terminator star. “I would never do the movie without him, no.”

Arnold is out so is probably Statham who received kudos from Sly on his Instagram account for being a standup guy and having Sly's back, so we can safely assume that he'd be out too if Sly was.

Here we have it, EX4 seems to be going back to either being a dead project again or becoming a DTV franchise...RIP.

Sly Exits EX4!

As per Deadline: "In a crushing blow to fans of The Expendables, Sylvester Stallone has washed his hands of the franchise. He has withdrawn from taking part in the fourth installment, even though, sources said, it would have meant the biggest upfront payday in his career at north of $20 million. The reason? He and Nu Image/Millennium chief Avi Lerner could not find common ground on a new director, on the script and on certain qualitative elements of the film. That went right down to the selection of the CGI house to handle visual effects. The franchise has used Lerner’s own VFX house, Nu Boyana in Bulgaria.

Sources said that Stallone — who set a high bar for himself reprising Rocky Balboa with Michael B Jordan and director Ryan Coogler in Creed — was concerned about potentially underwhelming results of another franchise with which he is indelibly linked. Stallone wrote the first script with Dave Callaham, co-wrote all the sequels, and directed the first film. But knowledgeable sources said that Expendables team leader Barney Ross has led his last mission.

One who knows the dynamic of the long Stallone-Lerner relationship suggested they often disagree and eventually work it out over a couple of cigars, but it doesn’t sound like that’s going to happen this time. Lerner acknowledged the differences he has had with Stallone, but wasn’t willing to concede a divorce just yet. “We’ve got disagreements with Sly, but we’ve had them for over a year and a half,” he told Deadline. “Right now, each one has opinion. We agreed on 95% of things, but there are certain things in production we don’t agree on. I don’t think it’s over, but what write whatever you want. In my opinion, it’s not dead.”

It is unclear how Stallone’s exit impacts the film or its beefcake action hero cast.."

Well, if this is the case the franchise is done in my opinion and will turn into a DTV cash cow. I for sure am done with it if Sly is not part of this.

Sly Confirms EX4 Will Be Different

Sly has confirmed on his Instagram account that he's preparing for EX4 and since everyone has been asking for something different he's gonna give it to them. Here we go, EX4 is finally coming probably sooner than later...

EX4 Coming in 2018

Splendid Film who has secured the distribution of EX4 in the German-speaking European market, has confirmed that the fourth installment of the franchise will be released in 2018 with Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Antonio Banderas, Wesley Snipes and Dolph Lundgren. They also expect more stars to join the party as usual. 

After so many rumors and half-ass news we could take this announcement as a solid possibility of EX4 to finally moving forward. 

Couture Talks EX4 With Sly

Asked by Tulsa World about the status of “The Expendables 4,” Couture said they’re waiting on a script. He saw Stallone at the gym a couple of weeks ago and Stallone talked about how he wants to take the next installment in a different direction. 

So the project is not dead and well in the works with Sly still planning to not only participate but in the driver's seat!

Seagal Interested in Villain Role

It looks like Seagal wants to be in the EX franchise at last. To a fan's tweet suggesting whether he'd be in "Expendables 4 ? vILLian ?  need a bad~ass to take 'em down", Seagal responded that he "would be willing to chat with @TheSlyStallone He knows I [Seagal] appreciate his project."

Well it is a very encouraging statement since Seagal was not really interested in the past due to his fallout with Lerner (rumor has it). I for one am super excited if this happens, I always felt the franchise missed him big time along with Jackie Chan, and if EX4 can pull it off to finally have those guys in it, it'd feel complete and can close off on a high note (well provided that the baby Expendables are no longer in it and it's rated a solid R).

The only concern now is whether EX4 will ever happen...if it does will Sly be in it?

Seagal finally in EX4?

There has been a slight sign of revival of EX4 through Seagal's tweeter page. He first responded to a fan's tweet that EX4 "is being discussed". Then he has been retweeting posts from this unofficial EX4 page. He followed a few hours ago by tweeting that "The Expendables is a great franchise".

There seems to be some EX4 discussions going on with the man. That's all we have for now, still not sure if the 4th installment is going to happen...

EX4 to Shoot Soon After All?

Not a lot of news but not long ago Couture was heard say that he “heard they had a script they were adapting for '(The Expendables) 4' and that we were going to start shooting for '4' in the fall”.

Also the guy who supplied the bikes to the EX team in the last movie (Tarhan Telli) tweeted: "The Expendables 4 soon......."; not sure what that means but it might be in line with what Couture heard.

EX4 to start shooting soon?

Lundgren Talks EX4

It's been very difficult to report any news on EX4 since there hasn't been any! There is no sign whatsoever of whether the project has been put on hold (or even dead) or secretly in the works. Even Lundgren, who was recently interviewed by HEYUGUYS on his new movie KC2, doesn't seem to know much about the future of EX4. Here's what he had to say:

HUG: There’s been some speculation about an Expendables 4 – is it something that you are keen to revisit at all and has Sly spoken to you about it at all?

 

DL: I haven’t talked to him about it, I kind of leave it up to him. Yeah, if it comes about it would probably be next summer. Usually those films are shot in the fall so it may be next year. I know he was side tracked a little because of the success of Creed, and of course the fact he was nominated for an Academy Award and all of that. He should have won, by the way! I think if it comes back, I’d give it another shot. It would be fun.

 

HUG: Who would you personally want to work with on Expendables 4 if it happens?

 

DL: Well, obviously there are icons like Clint Eastwood so that would be wonderful. There are other guys like Kurt Russell and Jackie Chan as well. I am trying to think of action people that haven’t been in it! Jackie Chan for sure, he’d be really cool.

EX4 Finally Moving Ahead?

There hasn't been any reliable news on the development of EX4 since the movie was semi-officially announced for a release in 2017, raising doubts in the viability of the fourth installment. The doubts were further reinforced when Stallone himself made a statement that an EX4 would be "Stallone-less" if it was to move ahead. Plus he seems to be involved in the Guardians of the Galaxy 2, and actively searching for dramatic roles, distancing himself from action movies. That being said, not winning his Oscar might have changed things.

Now 2 more or less reliable pieces of news have surfaced over the past few days giving some more life to the viability of an eventual EX4.

Randy Couture has confirmed to The Arnold Fans that filming on The Expendables 4 will get underway in the fall.

At the #ArnoldSportsFestival, Randy Couture confirms Expendables 4 starts filming this fall! #schwarzenegger 

Yibada is reporting that Li Bingbing will appear in the sequel and according to the American based Chinese outlet, after the delays because of the script changes, the movie will finally start filming in May! The outlet further reports that while in Australia, Li said she got sick out of worrying she might not be able to do "The Expendables 4" because of a barrier. 

Not sure how reliable all of this is, but if true more news should surface soon.

Another EX4 Rumor Squashed

Back in May Stallone exchanged a couple of tweets with the Indian actor Salman Khan, and alluded to maybe having him in EX4; probably as a courtesy response to Khan's earlier tweets complimenting Sly.

Some media outlets and fans took the twitter exchange and blew it out of proportions by making the assumption that Khan would appear in the 4th installment of the franchise.

Well after the Hogan rumor was squashed here's another one ending up with the same fate. In an event in India as reported by this Indian news outlet, Khan stated clearly that he had no intentions of taking part in any Hollywood production that he would only continue to make Indian movies. 

I guess for lack of better EX4 news we'll keep squashing rumors...

Hulk Hogan Just A Rumor in EX4

There have been many rumors around Hulk Hogan taking on the role of the main villain in EX4. 

Well Hogan who himself is sometimes the source of those rumors, has confirmed in an interview with The Star that "I [Hogan] haven't talked to him [Sly]. But there's a bunch of people who have thrown my name around and done stuff. I'd love to read the script. I don't know how many more Expendables they're going to make, so I'd love to be in the next one. I'd love to be the bad guy again in a Stallone movie. It would be a lot of fun." 

Here you have it, he's just a rumor in EX4.

EX4 Likley to Film in Bulgaria Again!

Update: it appears that Johannes Hartmann was working on the set of Boyka 4 and not EX 4, he might have confused the 2 movies when tagging his pictures. I apologize, I should have paid closer attention to the photos, I took Johannes's post for granted. Thanks to "Jeff" for bringing it to my attention in the comment section.

Although EX4 seems to have received some serious Chinese investment support and there is a likelihood of a partial production in China, several clues still point to the direction of Bulgaria.

Back in September this year the CEO of NU Boyana (that is the Studio where the first 3 movies were shot) told Xinhua that The Expendables 4 would probably be made mid-2016 in his Studios.

Also a certain Johannes Hartmann posted pictures of the set construction for The Expendables 4 at Nu Boyana Studios four months ago. Looks like work on EX4 has been in motion for a while now and well under the radar.

The majority of fans will certainly be disappointed if this was to happen, but the business reality is that Bulgaria is a cheap place to get movies done, and Lerner & Co. who are co-owners in the Bulgarian Studios will probably want to rip the benefits of that cheap fact.

'The Expendables 4' Is Coming in 2017!

Despite a very weak performance from all aspects (BO, quality, PG-13 rating, script, cast, editing, etc.) of its 3rd installment, the Expendables franchise is moving ahead with a 4th movie. Building on the franchise's strong market demand in China, Avi Lerner et al. were able to secure a deal with Steven Paul’s SP International Pictures on behalf of SSXH Beijing and Max Screen Film Distribution.

Expendables 4 will shoot in 2016 and be released in 2017. Neither director nor cast have yet been announced, though the picture is expected to maintain its all-action star formula. It is to be produced on a budget of over $100 million!

I'm absorbing this news with mixed feelings. Although the kid inside me gets always excited by the prospect of a new movie assembling my childhood heroes, the thought of seeing another fiasco is almost agonizing. Let's hope for the best.

Source: Variety

The Fall of a Franchise

I had to come out of retirement for one last post to review EX3, armed not with optimism, but with a burning necessity to voice my disappointment. Not that it matters anymore, but alas, EX3 strays far from its predecessors in such a disastrous fashion that I feel compelled to purge my frustration through words.

Where do I begin this lamentable tale? EX3 is such a convoluted cinematic travesty that writing a concise review feels like a daunting task. Nevertheless, let’s dissect this catastrophe.

Sylvester Stallone—a name that once resonated as the embodiment of action heroism—now stands shadowed by accusations of selling out, an ego-driven caricature of his former self. Outside his die-hard fans at the StalloneZone, true enthusiasts of gritty '80s action films are left grappling with a sense of betrayal. Their unconditional support for the Expendables franchise, which offered a lifeline to their aging icon, was met with the heart-wrenching realization that he had forsaken them in favor of appealing to the new generation. What debt he owed to this new generation remains an enigma...

However, it would be naive to lay all of EX3's faults solely at Stallone’s feet. The decision-making strings in this production were pulled by various hands, with the greedy Lerner family and the looming studio executives playing significant roles. The big studios must answer to shareholders, and they wouldn’t allow Stallone to dictate their entire fortune. Yet, it must be acknowledged that Stallone’s influence and his ability to steer the ship were compromised by his frantic desire to remain relevant to the new generation in the 21st century.

And I say this based on a pattern that is hard to ignore—a cycle echoing throughout the legend’s career. Ego-driven decisions and complacency have repeatedly blinded him at the summit of his success. The fame gained after Rocky and Rambo, the revival following Cliffhanger and Demolition Man—all were marred by the same affliction. And now, history cruelly repeats itself after he established the Expendables franchise.

Although Sly is known for rising from the ashes, he might be too old for another comeback. I hope this EX3 debacle will bring him back to his senses, guiding his final Rambo project—if it ever gets made—toward embodying the values that placed him among the pantheon of action legends. EX4 would be unnecessary if he is not allowed—or able—to return it to its essence and what it was always meant to be.

PG-13: A Bitter Betrayal

That rating—now a curse on the tongues of hardcore fans. The attempt to blame piracy as a convenient alibi for the movie's poor performance at the box office cannot shield EX3 from its fallout. Yes, the illicit leak may have affected the box office—researchers estimate about a 20% drop, meaning an opening of approximately $20 million. But even then, this would still be a mediocre result, considering the high expectations, expenses, and the pedigree of the cast.

The true culprits? Franchise fatigue, terrible quality, bad reviews, and—most importantly—alienation of the true fans. Unfortunately, history repeats itself, and studios either don’t learn or simply don’t care. Lionsgate’s strategy to capitalize on Fast & Furious’ summer absence faltered, and Stallone and Lerner’s bid to broaden their audience for personal ego and financial gains was a miscalculated plunge.

Whatever the reason behind the PG decision, the verdict is unanimous: the movie paid for it, both in marketing and in quality. Let’s pray that if EX4 ever graces our screens, its architects will learn from this debacle. Yet, it would be naive to expect history to change course as long as the same people remain in charge.

The Film Itself: A Disgrace

A package of poor editing, average CGI, lackluster acting, and a story worthy of the garbage bin.

Li and Schwarzenegger reduced to mere shadows of their former selves—an affront of the highest order, deserving a trial at The Hague of Cinema.

Banderas turned into a walking caricature—a cruel joke.

The veteran Expendables marginalized and overshadowed.

Arnold’s contentment in participating in this travesty is baffling.

The Sly/Mel fight? A disgrace, worse than Sly vs. JCVD in EX2.

A cascade of cinematic disasters. WTF?

The New Blood: A Laughable Charade

I’m speechless. What was this mockery?
 

Lutz might be the worst actor I’ve seen in years—zero presence, zero charisma. And they let him disrespect our icons like this? At least in EX2, one could develop some sympathy for Hemsworth—he was respectful toward the older Expendables and died quickly to make room for the real heroes.

Rousey was passable thanks to her fighting skills. She had some decent action sequences, but she should remain mute.

The boxer boy? Spare me the indignity—what was that?

If forced to pick one, I’d go with the hacker guy—he was at least tolerable.

This was Stallone’s biggest mistake of his entire career—writing these ill-conceived characters and then casting a bunch of useless wannabes to play them.

Sly, if you’re reading this—along with the millions of posts, tweets, and articles across the internet—open your eyes and let go of your ego.

You need to stay relevant to the fans who made you, not to kids ignorant of your legacy. If, by some miracle, you get the chance to make EX4, here’s what you need to do:

Exterminate the new blood blasphemy in the opening act or design a story that erases them altogether.

Bring in Jackie Chan and give him a proper role.

Make it a hard-R, like you did with Rambo 4.

Hire a few real villains, lobby for the money, and give it to The Rock—he’s willing to play ball.

Do the Right Thing.

A Franchise Falls

Our beloved franchise collapses—a symphony of hardcore '80s action devolving into a discordant mess. Witnessed by Generation X, this is the epitaph of an era.

Overall Rating: 1/5