The cast for The Expendables 4 has been announced, marking the first film in the action-packed franchise since 2014’s The Expendables 3.
The original cast members, including Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lungren, and Randy Couture, will return for the fourth edition. Tony Jaa, Megan Fox, and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson are also newcomers to the franchise. Scott Waugh, who helmed 2012’s Act of Valor and 2014’s Need for Speed, will direct the upcoming Expendables feature.
While the Expendables franchise has largely been about resurrecting great action actors from the 1980s and 1990s and combining them into one massive action film, it appears as the newest chapter will center on youthful guns.
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The Expendables 4 is in the works
The Expendables 4 has been in some sort of development since 2014 when The Expendables 3 was released in theatres. However, by 2017, Sylvester Stallone had reached a creative stalemate with studio Lionsgate and departed the film, taking with him numerous of his friends and co-stars. Thankfully, Stallone returned in 2018, but progress has been gradual in the years following, with numerous pauses and starts. In April 2021, cast member Randy Couture confirmed that The Expendables 4 is still in the works, with a fresh script in the works and tentative plans to begin production in the autumn of 2021.
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Prediction for The Expendables 4 Release Date
Expendables 4 has no set release date as of this writing because production has yet to commence. Producers had hinted in 2020 that a 2022 release may be feasible, which appears plausible if filming is completed by the end of 2021. That will also depend on how soon Hollywood’s schedules recover following a year of Coronavirus delays. Considering that COVID is still a serious threat to the world and film productions, the safety precautions in place may cause things to slow pace. In a normal environment, a release date of late 2022 or early 2023 would make sense, but with the pandemic in mind, it might be much later. It’s essential to note that no release date has been established or declared by the studio or anybody else associated with the project, so all we can do for now is a guess.
Who Is Returning and Who Is New in The Expendables 4 Cast?
So far, Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, and Randy Couture have been confirmed to return for Expendables 4. Expendables 4 will also feature some new renowned faces, including Transformer’s series veteran Megan Fox, rapper/actor Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, and Thai martial arts icon Tony Jaa. Terry Crews, on the other hand, appears to be a no-show. He rejected to return when Avi Lerner, the franchise’s producer, requested that he drop sexual assault claims against Hollywood agent Adam Venit.
Jean-Claude Van Damme has also openly shown interest in playing Jean Vilain, the twin brother of his Expendables 2 villain.
What Could Happen in The Expendables 4 Story?
The plot of The Expendables 4 is being kept under wraps for the time being, although it has been revealed that Statham’s Lee Christmas will be the main character this time around. The Expendables 3 didn’t appear to be a direct continuation of its predecessor, with Sylvester Stallone’s Barney Ross and his titular team of mercenaries triumphing against Mel Gibson’s arms-dealing nemesis Conrad Stonebanks. The options for what the squad may do in The Expendables 4 are currently limitless.