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

 

Arnold In EX4?

Arnold started his journey in the EX franchise with a cameo in the first film. Then his role kept getting bigger and he’s become one of the main figures of the saga. Given the premise of the franchise that was primarily based on assembling action icons of the 80’s/90’s, Arnold’s presence in all the movies was a must for the fans.

Since EX4 is now taking a different direction, veering from the original intent of the series, with Statham as the main lead, and fewer old school action icons, Arnold’s participation in the 4th installment has been uncertain. 

First he exited the project after Sly left, then made it known that he wouldn’t do the fourth if his part was not written well. But as we were getting bits and pieces of news on the 4th movie, he kept being confirmed every time. Avi confirmed Arnold’s participation on a couple of occasions, then he was attached to the project when the details of the spin-off story were leaked. Until Sly replied to a fan on his Instagram account that Arnold was not joining…

With all that, there is still doubt around his presence in the movie. Some indicators such as him being in Europe together with Sly & Lundgren on the weekend before production starts, still point towards an EX4 with Arnold. The latest one is a piece of news published by TheArnoldFans in which Arnold gives away his upcoming projects, and an Action Movie is one of them! Now whether he’s referring to EX4 or a brand new project remains to be seen. For now we keep remaining hopeful that he’ll be in it.

A Couple Of Female Characters In EX4

We have some updates from our old friend Randy Couture. He gives out a few details, not much. What is interesting is the presence of a couple of new female characters he says. The famous article from theilluminerdi.com also confirmed that when they first revealed the spin-off project: there is a large supporting role called Gina, Christmas’ love interest and a tough-as-nails member of the Expendables, who’s lethal in her own right (Most likely Megan Fox). While they are still casting for Janice Russo, the head of the military compound that houses the CIA. Randy also confirms a couple of new male characters but says that he doesn’t know who the cast is going to be. Well Jaa and 50 Cent maybe! I feel like we shouldn’t be holding our breath for anymore revelations or surprises apart from the CIA female character. I think for the rest, that’s it, Jaa, Fox, 50 Cent, and maybe Andy Garcia. Arnold’s presence seems to also be more and more unlikely.

Here’s what Randy said: MMA legend and actor Randy Couture recently joined The Wrestling Inc. Daily and, in addition to giving his thoughts on CM Punk’s return to wrestling, had some pretty big news to share. That would be that the long delayed fourth edition of The Expendables series is set to finally happen, with filming to begin in the fall of this year.

“Well, we’re getting ramped up for The Expendables 4,” Couture said. “I’m supposed to leave October 1 to start filming that movie in Europe. So excited to be back with the guys, and the new script is crazy. Every single one of these, I read the script and I’m like, ‘how the hell are we going to do that?!’ And they come up with a way to get it done and make it look right, and this was no different. It’s going to be very exciting. Tons of action, as you would expect. It’s going to be great. I’m excited to see all the guys again.”

One thing Couture wasn’t going to give away, if he even knows, is the identity of some of the new cast members to the film. As Couture explains it, that’s something The Expendables filmmakers like to keep under wraps until necessary.

“They keep that stuff pretty close to their vest,” Couture said. “There’s a lot of rumors floating around out there, but I cannot verify and I don’t have any real info. I’ve read the script, there are some new characters in there, but they don’t tell you who they cast as those characters. I know there’s a couple of interesting female characters in this script, there’s also a couple of new interesting male characters in this script that have integral parts in this movie. Who they cast is anybody’s guest. It’ll be somebody interesting for sure!

Crews Uninvited To EX4

Hardcore fans of the franchise know why Crews is not in the EX4 movie. Those who don’t know, he was not invited to the party over his fallout with Avi after he sued one of the franchise’s producers for sexual harassment. Drummer would say “he’s out of the picture”!

Let’s Give It Up For The Main Star of EX4

EX4 NEEDS RETRO MARKETING

I really hope EX4 gets some retro marketing, kind of like how EX2 had the 70s grunge poster. I love the 70/80s retro look.