A new photo was posted by Scipio on IG, and Jaa seems to be part of the Expendables team this time?!
Nov 18, 2021
Nov 17, 2021
EX5 Dead Already!?
Maybe some bad news folks? According to Poirier, his script of The Expendables, first slotted in as the original sequel EX4, then bumped to create room for Statham’s Expendables (now titled EX4), might be dead now. That is if Sly has indeed exited the franchise. That tells me that his script had Sly written all over it!
EX3: From Script to Screen
I thought this was an interesting article by The Action Elite on how the early version of EX3 script was originally quite different from the final product and not written as a PG-13 movie.
Here's a list of highlighted differences:
- The opening train scene takes place at night but aside from that it’s always been pretty much the same.
- Hale Caesar is killed by Conrad Stonebanks rather than injured. This works much better dramatically and makes you feel that lives actually are at stake. Apparently the only reason Caesar lived is because Terry Crews loved playing the character so much.
- Church was originally in the script and would later be replaced by Drummer (Harrison Ford). His dialogue is different and it’s him in the chopper at the end with Trench and Yin Yang.
- When Sly was trying to get Jackie Chan on board, his character was called 3D and was a bit of an Asian stereotype so it’s no wonder he declined. The character would be rewritten to become Galgo ( Antonio Banderas); both characters would end up being the annoying comic relief guy with similar scenes although 3D was slightly less annoying. He has an argument with Gunnar about chopsticks of all things which was quite lame. His confession as to what happened to his unit remains pretty much the same though. He had what sounded like a pretty epic fight scene at the end which could have been something special.
- Luna (Ronda Rousey) is introduced in a different fashion with Barney protesting having a woman onboard. This makes him come across as more of a dinosaur and I’m glad they changed it.
- Luna ends up getting tortured a little more by Stonebanks when the Young Expendables are captured later in the story.
- Smilee’s (Kellan Lutz) story is a little different where he is discovered working on a farm rather than having fistfights for money.
- Christmas’s girlfriend Lacey has a small role and tries flirting with one of the crew and it’s a shame she was removed as it would have kept up the continuity. When the Expendables are broken up we get a scene with Christmas sitting with Lacey and some friends having dinner demonstrating how he just isn’t cut out for the civilian life.
- Toll Road also nearly loses his shit while buying groceries which was also changed in the final film.
- All of the stuff about keeping Stonebanks alive and taken to The Hague is not in this version and it flows a little better. There is still not enough motivation to him though and he was always an underdeveloped villain.
- When Stonebanks escapes from the van and Barney has fallen off the bridge into the water, he is saved by Trench who kills Conrad’s goons. It gives him a bit more to do in the film rather than just flying the helicopter all the time.
- The much talked about axe scene starts off with Christmas (Statham) fighting the henchman Krug in a vicious knifefight; when Krug gets the upper hand and is about to kill Christmas The Surgeon (Wesley Snipes) runs in and throws the axe to Christmas. He then cuts Krug in half which certainly would have given the film an R rating.
- There appears to be a lot more blood and guts in this version so the final film was certainly toned down.
- When Yang, Trench and Church arrive in the helicopter during the finale Yang originally got to have an epic one on one fight which could have been pretty satisfying, so it’s another case of Jet Li being left out (most likely due to his poor health in all fairness).
- Stonebanks’ death was more brutal too rather than him getting shot (booooring!), Barney picks up a piece of rebar with fifty pounds of concrete at the end of it and crushes Stonebank’s skull. For the life of me I don’t know why THAT was removed!!
- But that’s not the end; Barney then takes out his knife and cuts off Stonebanks’ Expendables tattoo from his skin and tosses the flesh away.
Dolph Lundgren lands in Greece with fiancée Emma Krokdal
Dolph Lundgren and Emma Krokdal landed in Greece on Tuesday as the actor prepares to film the fourth film in The Expendables series...
Full article on Daily Mail UK.
Nov 15, 2021
Couture EX4 Wrap Party Q&A
Couture posted this on his IG. If you’re around jump onto his Q&A and get us the scoop.
Lundgren Off To Greece For EX4
There was a lot of debate on whether Lundgren would also join the Expendables gang in Greece to shoot some of the final scenes. Well, he's confirmed on his IG that he'll be leaving London tomorrow for Greece to shoot EX4.
Nov 13, 2021
Script Snapshot of Uwais' Copy
Here's a snapshot of the script from Uwais' copy. The movie is called "The Expendables 4", there is no mention of the tagline "A Christmas Story", at least for now. You can also note that the 1st draft was ready in September 2019 already. Since the fallout between Sly & Avi, the intention has always been to reboot the franchise with a new generation of Expendables led by Statham as the main character.
Nov 12, 2021
Set Photo - Jaa
A new photo of Jaa on set was posted today on IG by someone who works in the movie. He also worked in Greece before with Banderas on a movie called The Enforcer also produced by Millennium. Apparently the successful production of The Enforcer led Millennium to shoot EX4 in Greece.
Scipio Is Expendable
Scipio has posted on IG again with a photo of him on set of EX4: "New member of the @expendables and he’s coming in hot 🥵 damn shooting this movie is fun".
For those who may not remember, he was rumored to play a new member of the Expendables, as Galgo's son. Galgo was played by Banderas in EX3.
Nov 11, 2021
Randy Still In Production?
An interesting surprise. Couture is apparently on set. The production assistant of EX4 has posted a photo of him on IG. Looks like he’s part of the final scenes and not killed in the opening as many thought.
Nov 10, 2021
Nov 9, 2021
Nov 8, 2021
50 Cent on set
50 Cent or whatever his name is, has posted a couple of photos of himself from the EX4 set. The comments he posted are usual him with this arrogant sense of humor he has ("Yo this is my Movie everybody else just in it.").
I'm one of those fans who's not happy to see him in the movie, but I'm not the producer so will have to suck it up.
Nov 7, 2021
EX4 Production to Start On Nov 8 In Greece, Last For 2 Weeks
Last week the 2nd unit production started work in Greece under director Brian Smrz (X-Men, Iron Man 3). Production kicks off tomorrow and should last 2 weeks according to the following article. The movie is also borrowing equipment from the Greek army, with actual photos below.
"The shooting of the film "The Expendables 4" is in full swing in Thessaloniki, in the spaces chosen and shaped by the production east and west of the city.
After several working days of the so-called Second Unit, the production team that shoots all the shots and scenes that will be needed for the final form of the film, in which the famous protagonists do not participate, from tomorrow, Monday, November 8, the shooting begins with all the stars of the American entertainment industry, who will participate in the film.
These shootings will last two weeks and for their completion, as was done with the shooting of Second Unit in the past few days, a huge plateau will be used in the east of Thessaloniki and the industrial space that has been leased in the west.
As of tomorrow, the protagonists Jason Statham, Andy Garcia, Megan Fox, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, as well as the possible "rival" of "Expendables" in the film, the Thai star of Hollywood Tony Jaa, in the martial arts added to the cast, will shoot scenes in Thessaloniki. The creator of the series of these films, Sylvester Stallone, has already completed the shooting of his scenes in London and even announced that after "The Expendables 4" he will not participate in new films of the franchise as Barney Ross with Jason Statham to takes the first role.
For the production on set of "Expendables 4" in our country, it gives the "present" and equipment that comes from the Greek army, a practice that is common for any action production, around the world. This is a very important medium that often "judges" the re-production of action films in a country, as such films are necessary to include heavy equipment of local origin, vehicles and means that contribute to the realism of the final cinematic result. Thus, in this particular film, which is scheduled to be released in theaters in 2022, Greek viewers will see vehicles that will be familiar to them from the time of their military service."
After several working days of the so-called Second Unit, the production team that shoots all the shots and scenes that will be needed for the final form of the film, in which the famous protagonists do not participate, from tomorrow, Monday, November 8, the shooting begins with all the stars of the American entertainment industry, who will participate in the film.
These shootings will last two weeks and for their completion, as was done with the shooting of Second Unit in the past few days, a huge plateau will be used in the east of Thessaloniki and the industrial space that has been leased in the west.
As of tomorrow, the protagonists Jason Statham, Andy Garcia, Megan Fox, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, as well as the possible "rival" of "Expendables" in the film, the Thai star of Hollywood Tony Jaa, in the martial arts added to the cast, will shoot scenes in Thessaloniki. The creator of the series of these films, Sylvester Stallone, has already completed the shooting of his scenes in London and even announced that after "The Expendables 4" he will not participate in new films of the franchise as Barney Ross with Jason Statham to takes the first role.
For the production on set of "Expendables 4" in our country, it gives the "present" and equipment that comes from the Greek army, a practice that is common for any action production, around the world. This is a very important medium that often "judges" the re-production of action films in a country, as such films are necessary to include heavy equipment of local origin, vehicles and means that contribute to the realism of the final cinematic result. Thus, in this particular film, which is scheduled to be released in theaters in 2022, Greek viewers will see vehicles that will be familiar to them from the time of their military service."
Nov 6, 2021
Nov 5, 2021
EX4 Cast In Greece
I posted earlier that we were getting signs that the crew could be heading to Greece today, well it's done. Uwais has posted a few videos on IG showing off his day in Thessaloniki (Greece). Here's one of the videos. Filming in the infamous ship should kick off next week and last until early December.
Production Moving To Greece Soon?
Production should be moving to Greece any time soon based on earlier reports published by the Greek Media. There's a post from Johnny Tang on IG with a picture of the Bulgarian-Greek border, probably a sign that players are getting ready to film in Greece now? Driving distance from Sofia, Bulgaria where the crew is currently filming to Thermi, Greece where production will continue in the infamous ship is less than 4 hours. The cast should mostly likely take ground transportation.
Jaa In His Trailer On Set
Here's a couple of videos posted by Jaa on his IG from his trailer on set.
Nov 3, 2021
Sly Still With His EX4 Goatee, A Sign?
This was posted by Sly’s daughter today. Sly is still wearing his EX4 goatee and messing around with his beret. Is he getting ready to go back for more or simply keeping the look?
New Videos From Uwais
Uwais posted on IG a video of him and his side-kick going to the set. The side-kick holds a piece of paper, not sure if it's a page out of the script they've prepended for that day...let us now if you can make anything out of.
Nov 2, 2021
Behind The Scenes Video From Statham
Statham posted this video on his IG account teasing us with some behind-the-scene images!
Fox Looking For Her Keys
Here’s an anecdote from the Production Assistant that he posted on his IG. We gotta laugh at them too, not just post fight scenes or set photos…
New Video From Jaa
From Jaa on his IG: « Practice is a constant act to improve the skills for performance and see what’s new character in Expendables 4. »
Nov 1, 2021
New Production Location Photos From Greece
There are fresh photos from the production location where EX4 will be filmed in Greece. The news outlet GRTimes.gr have released a bunch of photos from the location. Here's what the article says (Google Translation):
"As you can see in the characteristic images of GRTimes.gr from the Millennium Media space in Thermi, where a significant part of the scenes of the new Hollywood production is to be filmed, the crews are working "feverishly" in order to prepare the sets and the space until everything is ready for "3,2,1 we write".
The former warehouses located within the huge area will soon be converted into film studios, while as can be seen from the images of GRTimes.gr , sets are set up outside the area located at the back of the plot.
According to what has become known so far, among other things, for the needs of the scenes that are in the planning, a giant model of a warship is being set up which will be illuminated by impressive - and many - lights.
Preparations have been underway for some time and filming is reportedly set to begin in the first days of November.
It remains unknown so far whether - apart from production executives - well-known actors (Jason Statham, Andy Garcia, Megan Fox, etc.) have arrived in Thessaloniki.
We remind you that, as the Regional Governor of Central Macedonia Apostolos Tzitzikostas announced at the beginning of October, the shooting of the new production will take place mainly in the area where the Millennium studios will be built, in Thermi but also in some other controlled areas while no shooting will take place. public places.
Also, the film will have a budget of 19 million euros for the part that will be shot in PKM, and the shooting is expected to last about a month."
"As you can see in the characteristic images of GRTimes.gr from the Millennium Media space in Thermi, where a significant part of the scenes of the new Hollywood production is to be filmed, the crews are working "feverishly" in order to prepare the sets and the space until everything is ready for "3,2,1 we write".
The former warehouses located within the huge area will soon be converted into film studios, while as can be seen from the images of GRTimes.gr , sets are set up outside the area located at the back of the plot.
According to what has become known so far, among other things, for the needs of the scenes that are in the planning, a giant model of a warship is being set up which will be illuminated by impressive - and many - lights.
Preparations have been underway for some time and filming is reportedly set to begin in the first days of November.
It remains unknown so far whether - apart from production executives - well-known actors (Jason Statham, Andy Garcia, Megan Fox, etc.) have arrived in Thessaloniki.
We remind you that, as the Regional Governor of Central Macedonia Apostolos Tzitzikostas announced at the beginning of October, the shooting of the new production will take place mainly in the area where the Millennium studios will be built, in Thermi but also in some other controlled areas while no shooting will take place. public places.
Also, the film will have a budget of 19 million euros for the part that will be shot in PKM, and the shooting is expected to last about a month."
Oct 31, 2021
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