I am a very good fan of the movie The Expendables (2010). Growing up, as a 1980s kid, those Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger impossible testosterone-fueled action movies, together with the classics of horror, were the only thing that kept me sane from the boring reality. And although the sequels The Expendables 2 (2012) and The Expendables 3 (2014) didn’t reach the level of the first title, they were mandatory watches for me.
Sylvester Stallone was the creator of The Expendables (2010), being the producer, writer, director, and main star of the film. But the years are heavy for everyone and reportedly he is retiring from the character of Barney Ross to clear the path for a new generation of action icons.
This summer we will see the release of Expend4bles (2023), which is for sure an infliction point for the saga. It is rumored that this is the first one of a new trilogy centering on the character of Lee Christmas, played by Jason Statham in the first three movies.
In the movie, armed with every weapon they can get their hands on and the skills to use them, The Expendables are the world’s last line of defense and the team that gets called when all other options are off the table, an arms dealer who commands the might of a massive private army. But new team members with new styles and tactics are going to give “new blood” a whole new meaning.
Jason Statham as Lee Christmas, Dolph Lundgren as Gunner Jensen, Randy Couture as Toll Road, and Sylvester Stallone as Barney Ross reprise their roles in the previous films. It is notable the absence of two of the most beloved Expendables, Jet Li and Terry Crews. 50 Cent, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, Andy Garcia, Eddie Hall, and Nicole Andrews are completing the main cast.
Scott Waugh, a former stunts artist who directed the action titles Act of Valor (2012) and Need for Speed (2014) has been chosen as the director for Expend4bles (2023). Kurt Wimmer (Sphere (1998), Equilibrium (2002), Total Recall (2012), Point Break (2015)), Max Adams (Heist (2015), Extraction (2015), Precious Cargo (2016)), and Tad Daggerhart (Black Lotus (2023)) have been the writers of the screenplay.
Millennium Media and Campbell Grobman Films are producing with Lionsgate distributing. Sylvester Stallone stated that “if a fourth film happens, it will definitely be R-rated unlike the PG-13 rated”, but we still have to wait for the final qualification. The movie is set to come out in theaters on September 22, 2023.
Watch the first official trailer for Expend4bles (2023).
