The Expendables 3 was once promised to be the last chapter in the franchise, but it seems that’s not the case anymore as we found out recently that The Expendables 4 is now a go. With production set to get underway soon, Sylvester Stallone has begun teasing it, and earlier this week, he told fans a little bit about what to expect from the upcoming sequel.
While on a plane flying (aka “slying”) to a Florida event, the actor posted a Facebook video in which he said he’s currently working out for the upcoming sequel, “fingers crossed,” which promises to return to the R-rated roots of the first two films.
We’re going to do our best… I think we got some really great attitude going. We got great ideas. I think everyone is expecting something different, and we’re going to give it to them.
Ultimately, Stallone is providing more reassurance than confidence that The Expendables 4 will come to light. The PG-13 rated Expendables 3 didn’t do so hot in the United States, but it earned $214.6 million worldwide, which Stallone is likely banking on for this new and, once again, promised-to-be final chapter in his musclemen team-up franchise. It should be noted that The Expendables 3 fell victim to an early pirating scandal weeks before its release as well, which might explain why it didn’t pull in the same numbers as the first two installments. It also didn’t help that the 2014 sequel got lukewarm reviews, nor that it added little new to the tired formula.
As Greek Tyrant notes, Stallone and company are planning a 2018 release for The Expendables 4. They also hope to give fans something different this time around, notably a potential “fish out of water” scenario where the gang is left in an “unnatural environment” that’s “jarring” and creates “extra suspense and tension.” Whether or not that’s true remains to be seen, but it does sound exciting.
While no official casting news has made its way online yet, we expect Jason Statham, Jet Li, Terry Crews, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture and possibly Arnold Schwarzenegger to return with Stallone for another round of fighting, shooting, and muscled-up tattoos.
