Arnold Not In EX4

I think it’s safe to conclude that Arnold won’t be in EX4. The tiny hope to see him in the movie was relying on the fact that he was going to be in Europe for the Arnold Sport event and then fly to Bulgaria to shoot a few scenes. Well he’s not even going to his own event and will be attending virtually! He’s injured his calf and the drs advised him against any travel.

Goodbye legend! It was good to have you in the first 3 movies. The franchise won’t be the same without you!

And It Begins…

Jaa Getting Ready

THE HOT EXPENDABLE

Sly Grows Goatee for EX4?

Some recent posts from Sly on Instagram raised the question on whether he was growing his beard for EX4. Well the latest picture of him taken from a podcast aired by his daughters where he took part, seems to indicate that he has grown back the goatee! Going back to the roots of the first movie? He looks good btw for a 75 year-old guy.

The Hot Expendable: Getting Ready

The Expendables Hall of Fame

The Hot Expendable: Going Deeper

EX2 Not Seen Before Posters

I came across these posters I had never seen before and found them very cool. It looks like they’re fan made but still cool. This is the kind of post you get when there’s no news on EX4 production 😀

Tony Jaaa’s New Look For EX4

No big news but better than nothing while no news…

Tony Jaa has changed his look probably for EX4. He’s going darker…

Schwarzenegger in EX4 after all?

From Moviehole: 

Hearing today Arnold Schwarzenegger will reprise his role as Trench for Millennium and Campbell Grobman Films’ new “Expendables” film. 

As previously reported, “Expendables: A Christmas Story” is a spin-off fixing on Jason Statham’s Lee Christmas character, with “Expendables” players Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgen and Randy Couture reprising their roles from the earlier films. Andy Garcia, Megan Fox, 50 Cent and Tony Jaa also also in the cast.

Schwarzenegger has arrived in Budapest to shoot his scenes in the Scott Waugh-directed spin-off, ahead of a Winter commitment to Ivan Reitman’s “Twins” sequel. Hungary currently requires visitors to quarantine for 10-days, which is why the “Predator” star has arrived ahead of the October shoot dates. 

Rumours suggesting Millennium changed their mind about doing a Statham-led spin-off and instead went back to doing a more traditional “Expendables” sequel aren’t true. A third sequel to the 2010 hit is on the back-burner at the moment.

(https://moviehole.net/schwarzenegger-returns-for-expendables-a-christmas-story/)

EX Throwback - The Scene of Legends

Another throwback. While going through my archive, found this rare, probably never seen picture of a scene that was originally supposed to have all the action legends fire guns together. The producers finally decided to cut Norris out and I never found out why. Originally Norris had a scene with Willis and Schwarzenegger where they discuss a plan to rescue the Expendables. In the scene after the mine rescue, where Willis and Arnold talk to Sly about helping him capture JCVD, Norris was originally part of the gang that shoots at JCVD's truck before entering the airport. But all those scenes were cut to make room for that scene at the airport where Norris appears magically for Sly to turn his head back and look at him with a surprised face. Not sure if we'll ever get a director's or Sly's cut of the EX2, that would be a dream.

Due To Popular Demand, Another Hot Expendable Photo

The Hot Expendable

Frank Stallone Shits All Over EX4

Pardon my expletive, but Frank Stallone has publicly said on Facebook he hated EX3 and that EX4 will suck. Frank needs to stop biting the hand that feeds him. What little success he has had is all due to his brother Sylvester. Since his career tanked decades ago, he has turned into a mean and bitter old man. No matter what direction this franchise may be headed, he should support it and his brother, not shit all over it. Smh. 

EX5 Already In The Works?

This could be a huge turn of events. The original script writer of EX4 (G. Poirier) whose script was supposed to be used for a direct sequel is now implying that his script is still in the works and might be used for an EX5! 

If you remember, a script was written by Poirier 3 years ago for an EX4 movie but then things started to change and a new script by Max Adams surfaced for a spin-off movie, which is now the direction the franchise is taking.

If what Poirier says is true, this is a huge piece of news and could remove assumptions that EX4: A Christmas Story is the last instalment with Sly. That we might actually get another Expendables movie true to its origins with all our favourite action stars in it! A role for Russell was written in Poirier’s version of the script!

The Expendables 4: a Story of Redemption

Fans find themselves divided and perplexed when it comes to the next installment of The Expendables movie franchise, and their sentiments are entirely understandable. The disappointment they experienced in the previous installment still lingers, leaving a bitter aftertaste for many.

Following the success of the first two Expendables films, expectations soared for the third entry. Regrettably, The Expendables 3 fell short and emerged as a colossal letdown for most fans. Several factors contributed to this disappointment: the introduction of a new group of young Expendables that failed to capture fans' interest, the decision to dilute the film's content by aiming for a PG-13 rating, the persistently subpar CGI effects, and the underutilization of iconic figures like Schwarzenegger, Banderas, and Li. All of these elements fueled the frustration of many fans, and this discontent was painfully reflected in the film's underwhelming box office performance.

In summary:

We were anticipating this:	But we got this:

After an agonizingly long wait, fans were hoping for redemption with The Expendables 4, but it seems that redemption might remain elusive.

The concept behind The Expendables, originally conceived by Sylvester Stallone, was to assemble action heroes from the 80s and early 90s who had disappeared from the silver screen. The first movie made an attempt but fell short of fully realizing this vision. Stallone and Lundgren were the only recognizable names from the 80s with significant roles, while Willis and Schwarzenegger made cameo appearances. Van Damme declined to join, Norris was absent, and other familiar faces like Chan, Seagal, Russell, and more were either not invited or declined the invitation. To compensate for these absences, Stallone introduced more recent action stars like Statham and Li, as well as martial artists, football players, wrestlers, and actors from direct-to-video action movies.

The movie achieved success and paved the way for a sequel with even greater investment and studio interest. Stallone capitalized on the opportunity by securing larger roles for Van Damme, Norris, Willis, and Schwarzenegger, moving closer to his original vision.

The tremendous success of The Expendables 2 generated even more excitement for a third installment. The cast expanded, with additional household names like Ford, Gibson, Snipes, and Banderas joining the ensemble. Chan's involvement was nearly secured, but he ultimately dropped out, while Seagal once again failed to make the cut, despite Stallone's efforts. Despite these setbacks, fans were initially thrilled with the overall cast. However, as explained earlier, the movie ultimately disappointed.

Now, as we approach The Expendables 4, it's the last opportunity for 75-year-old Stallone to fully realize his vision. Fans were hopeful that this time, it would come to fruition. They anticipated the reunion of action legends like Chan, Russell, and Seagal, Schwarzenegger in a significant role leading his own team of mercenaries pitted against Stallone's crew, and the inclusion of classic 80s action icons like Dudikoff, Lamas, Weathers, and more to create the ultimate action movie experience.

Unfortunately, the franchise producers had a different plan in mind. They sidelined Stallone and elevated Statham to the forefront. They moved away from the original 80s action hero vision and introduced Megan Fox and 50 Cent, cost-effective actors from the direct-to-video industry who wouldn't overshadow Statham. Stallone took on a supporting role to pass the torch, and if the film succeeds at the box office, they intend to continue the franchise with Statham as the lead.

Whether you're disheartened by these developments or still a dedicated fan of the franchise, it's worth giving the new movie a chance. While it may not fulfill the dream of an 80s action hero reunion led by Stallone, it can still deliver a solid action movie experience with the presence of formidable stars like Statham, Lundgren, and Stallone himself. Who knows, in the coming weeks, we might even be pleasantly surprised by the addition of another major star to the cast.

With the hope for an Expendables 4 reminiscent of the 80s now faded, let's aspire to see a classic and robust action film that entertains us all.

Andy Garcia Confirmed

We reported this almost a month ago but traditional media outlets have just been given the exclusive by the studio now!! Why are you so slow brothers!?

Andy Garcia is confirmed as expected playing a CIA contact.

He’s a nice addition but nothing to get us overly excited. We wanted Willis, Ford or some other big action legend name…

Here’s the news.

Sly Getting Ready, Beard for EX4?

Quick news from Sly from his Instagram account. He’s getting ready to go to Europe. First I thought he had grown his beard back, but apparently he used an old picture in his post. 

EX Throwback: Legends Fight Side-By-Side

As we are getting more excited for EX4, knowing that Sly will have fight scenes and not only show up in a glorified cameo, it's time for another throwback. This time the now famous Airport scene where our 3 action legends fire guns side by side. Enjoy!

New Characters Rahmat & Bok Confirmed, Sly Fights 12

I already made a case for new South East Asian characters to be in EX4, and that Jaa could be playing one of them (Rahmat or Bok). We have confirmation from the script that those 2 characters are in the movie. Next is to find out whether Jaa plays either of them or another totally different character.

 

The other interesting piece from the script is that Sly and Statham will have a fight scene facing 12 bikers. For those who were worried about Sly having a cameo role and no fight scenes, you should feel relieved!

EX Throwback: Legends Come Together

Looking into my Expendables archives, I found the making of the scene from EX1 where the 3 action legends come together for the first time on screen...enjoy!

EX4 CIA Connection Female

As it was speculated, the CIA connection in EX4 will be played by an actress. The call to cast the role has been already launched. I hope they get an A-lister this time…

Review Of EX4 Characters: Who's IN, Who's OUT?

Core Team	Status	Comment
	IN	Sly is back and confirmed his return, but this time as a supporting character. His role will be an emotional one for fans and despite not having many scenes compared to previous installments, his presence will be felt throughout the film
	IN	Statham was confirmed by the studio and is back as the lead role. The movie will be centered around his character. It’s believed that he will lead a reformed EX squad with new characters joining the team
	IN	Lundgren was confirmed by both the studio and Couture. It’s not clear how much involvement he’ll have in the movie
	IN	Couture was confirmed by both the studio and himself. Like Lundgren, his level of involvement or screen time has not been revealed
	IN?	Snipes was confirmed by Couture but oddly enough he was missing in the official press release by Lionsgate. He was a sure bet when EX4 was originally set to be a direct sequel but things might have changed after the spin-off project became the main direction
	IN?	Same as Snipes, Banderas was confirmed by Couture but missing in the official press release. He was even billed in several posters that were released in Cannes and by the movie’s Spanish distributor but no news of him since
	OUT	Crews was not invited to the next EX movie. He confirmed it himself on his twitter account. His absence is due to his fallout with Avi Lerner, the main producer of the franchise after Crews sued one of the movie’s stakeholders for sexual harassment
	OUT?	Li’s presence in the EX movies kept getting smaller mainly due his health issues over the past few years. There hasn’t been any word on him, not even by Couture. Any chance of his involvement in EX4 is very slim
Returning Characters	Status	Comment
	IN?	Arnold was interested in returning in the 4th installment if his role was written well. He was attached to the movie for the longest, through confirmation by Avi Lerner and other sources. But when the movie was finally announced, he was missing from the official press release, and even Sly ruled him out. At this point his presence in EX4 looks more and more unlikely
	OUT	Chances to see Willis in the EX franchise are extremely slim not to say none. After his fallout with Sly over EX3 where he asked for more money, his fate was pretty much sealed. Although Sly and him made up after, Couture affirmed in an interview that Bruce’s return was not in the cards and that ship had sailed
	OUT	Ford made an appearance in EX3 replacing Willis as the Expendables CIA contact. He openly admitted that he had done it for the money, plus he’s currently busy with his Indiana Jones project. His return is extremely unlikely
	OUT	Rourke was attached to EX2 but bowed out, then was not even considered for the 3rd movie. He was mostly Sly’s buddy and did the first film as a favour to Sly. Since Sly is not in charge anymore, Rourke will not be asked to return
	OUT	Throwing in JCVD just for fun. His character was killed in the 2nd movie but fans have kept demanding his return. JCVD himself has made a few timid requests to return suggesting that he could play Vilain’s twin brother. But we all know that he will not be asked to return. His potential involvement in any of the EX movies is probably pure fan fantasy at this point
New Characters	Status	Comment
	IN	Megan Fox joins the cast as potentially a female Expendable. She’s believed to play Gina, Christmas’ love interest and a tough-as-nails member of the Expendables, who’s lethal in her own right
	IN	Tony Jaa, an established action star in south east Asia is joining the cast. He’s known to play villain roles in the FF & XXX movies. He could either be one of the new Expendables or playing Suharato Rahmat a weapons smuggler who has a military past. Other potential role is Bok, one of Rahmat’s deadly henchmen. The movie is said to have a South East Asian vibe, as there are many characters who are from that region
	IN	50 Cent was the surprise of the new cast. He has a long history with Sly and the producers of the EX franchise so his involvement should not be seen as a shock. Now whether he’ll be suiting up as an action hero or playing a supporting role in the office suit is the big question
	IN?	Russell was solicited to play in the franchise on a few occasions and kept declining the invitation. In the first version of EX4 that was more geared towards a direct sequel a role was penciled in for him. Now whether producers have kept his role alive in the new version of the movie and whether they can get him is the million-dollar question. That being said, he might now be interested since Statham is taking the lead, those 2 have a friendly history from the FF franchise!
Will be Missed	Status	Comment
	OUT	Chan is probably the action star that will be missed the most in the EX franchise. Despite a few attempts by Sly, Chan kept declining roles in the movies. His argument was that he didn’t want to show up and disappear but rather was looking for a buddy movie with Sly which was not possible in an EX movie setting. Too bad the franchise didn’t get complete with his presence
	OUT	Many fans say an EX franchise without Seagal will not be complete. One of the action icons of the 80/90’s, his place in the franchise was an obvious move but his foe with Ai Lerner never allowed his participation despite many attempts by Sly to get him. The closest was EX3 but it didn’t go through. Seagal even showed his desire to be in EX4 very openly early on when the project was first announced but nothing came out of that either. With the new direction taken by the franchise, we’ll never see this once great action star in the franchise