The Expendables are back. It's been nine years since the action franchise released its last entry, but Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham and more are back, along with some new blood. The franchise looks to prove that it can still kick butt and entertain moviegoers.
Started in 2010, The Expendables franchise brought together a number of Hollywood's biggest action stars — Stallone, Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Chuck Norris, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis and more — for world-saving adventures. The result was more than $800 million at the worldwide box office across three movies, the last of which was released in 2014.
What can we expect from this latest entry? Here is everything that we know about Expend4bles.
Expend4bles release date
The fourth Expendables movie is skipping the crowded summer blockbuster season and instead going to be released on September 22 worldwide. Expend4bles is going to be playing exclusively in movie theaters upon its initial release.
It currently shares its release date with the new Ethan Coen movie, Drive-Away Dolls.
Expend4bles plot
Is Expend4bles going to be a passing of the franchise torch? Too early to tell, but the official synopsis is sure to point out that this latest entry is bringing in a bunch of new recruits. Here is the plot description from Lionsgate:
"A new generation of stars join the world’s top action stars for an adrenaline-fueled adventure in Expend4bles. Reuniting as the team of elite mercenaries, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture and Sylvester Stallone are joined for the first time by Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, and Andy Garcia. 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. But new team members with new styles and tactics are going to give 'new blood' a whole new meaning."
The script was written by Kurt Wimmer (2015's Point Break), Tad Daggerhart (Black Lotus) and Max Adams (The Terminal List).
Expend4bles cast
Four of the original members of the Expendables team are back, including Sylvester Stallone as Barney Ross, Jason Statham as Lee Christmas, Dolph Lundgren as Gunner Jensen and Randy Couture as Toll Road. Other original members of the team, including Terry Crews, Jet Li and Steve Austin, are not currently listed as appearing in the movie.
Their potential replacements come in the form of Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson (Power, Den of Thieves) as Easy Day, Megan Fox (Transformers, Jennifer's Body) as Gina, Iko Uwais (The Raid, Fistful of Vengeance) as Rahmat, Jacob Scipio (Bad Boys for Life, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent) as Galan, Levy Tran (MacGyver, The Haunting of Hill House) as Lash and Tony Jaa (Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior, Furious 7) in an as yet unspecified role.
One other big name is joining the cast for the first time, Andy Garcia (Father of the Bride, Book Club: The Next Chapter), playing Marsh.
Expend4bles trailer
Watch the Expend4bles trailer below to meet some of the new team and get a taste of the action the movie is going to deliver:
Expend4bles director
In addition to new stars, Expend4bles has a new director for the franchise (Stallone, Simon West and Patrick Hughes directed the previous entries). Expend4bles is in the hands of Scott Waugh, whose previous movies include Act of Valor, Need for Speed and 6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain.