Trust in Sly. A few months ago Sylvester Stallone teased that The Expendables 4 was about to become a reality, and now it is official. Deadline confirms a deal has been struck between Millennium Films and a Chinese exhibitor to get the film in front of cameras early next year.
Also part of that deal were the rights to Rambo 5, which is set to shoot in September and finds the war veteran battling a Mexican cartel. This continues an especially busy period for Stallone. His sequel Escape Plan 2 is due to open soon, and he’s currently helping to develop Creed 2, which he will return to star in.
As for The Expendables, the franchise launched in 2010 as a nostalgic gathering of classic screen action heroes. The R-rated film teamed Stallone with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, Jet Li, and more, with subsequent films adding even more stars including Mel Gibson and Chuck Norris. There have been problems between Stallone and Millennium on a creative front, which led to Sly vowing to leave the franchise. While we don’t know the exact details of the beef, it may have had something to do with keeping these movies R-rated. A PG-13 rating for The Expendables 3 turned off fans and led to it being the lowest-grossing movie so far. Now that Stallone is officially on board we can expect the cast to join him. Schwarzenegger had said he would only return if Stallone came back.
Now comes the fun part, figuring out who the newest additions to the cast will be. I’m going to guess Jackie Chan and Hulk Hogan as definite possibilities. Who do you think will make the cut?
