You just can’t keep Sylvester Stallone from making more sequels to films no one really wants more sequels to. The actor will be returning for (not officially titled) The Expendables 4, alongside Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, and Randy Couture. The series has been on ice for a while, but it appears that Lionsgate is looking to get it going again and bring back a slew of “old” action stars to shoot things on screen. Additionally, The Expendables 4 will add 50 Cent, Megan Fox, and Tony Jaa, providing the film with its token black actor, (Terry Crews is apparently gone.) token female star, and token Asian guy who can actually do fight sequences.
Scott Waugh, who has made a career of directing budget action movies, will direct this entry that will once again follow the crew of mercenaries under Stallone’s lead as they try to save the world in an ’80s action movie stuck in the 2020s. The screenplay comes from Spenser Cohen, Max Adams, and John Joseph Connolly. There’s no word on the plot of The Expendables 4, but we can probably assume that other casting news beyond 50 Cent, Megan Fox, and Tony Jaa will come out — though they’re kind of running out of aging action stars to put into these things.
“We are thrilled to partner with our friends at Millennium Media for the next installment of the Expendables franchise,” said Jason Constantine, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group’s president of acquisitions and co-productions. “It’s so much fun to bring these stars together for a no-holds-barred action film. The new film will raise the stakes and be the biggest, most badass adventure yet.”
The Expendables was campy fun, living half on nostalgia and half on actually recapturing some of the magic of ’80s action cinema. The next two movies struggled to recapture that same feeling, but maybe thanks to the gap between the last one and now it will feel fresh again.
No release date has been set for The Expendables 4.
