New details have been revealed about the next installment of The Expendables series, including the confirmed returns of several cast members along with some franchise newcomers. Recently, Sylvester Stallone revealed that the next chapter of the movie series was set to start filming in October. This confirmed prior comments from Randy Couture that The Expendables 4 would start production in the fall.
Now, Lionsgate has officially announced the upcoming movie. The studio will reteam with Millennium Media that they will once again reunite the world’s top action stars for an all-new feature. Coming back from the prior installments will be Stallone, Couture, Jason Statham, and Dolph Lundgren, reprising their respective roles as Barney Ross, Toll Road, Lee Christmas, and Gunner Jensen. Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox, and Tony Jaa will also join the franchise in new roles for the sequel.
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“We are thrilled to partner with our friends at Millennium Media for the next installment of The Expendables franchise,” said Jason Constantine, President of Acquisitions and Co-Productions for the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group. “It’s so much fun to bring these stars together for a no-holds-barred action film. The new film will raise the stakes and be the biggest, most badass adventure yet.”
Jeffrey Greenstein, Millennium Media President, added: “The Expendables are back, and we couldn’t be more excited to bring this star studded, action packed film to the big screen with Lionsgate, who have been with us since the inception of this franchise. To keep it fresh and fun, we’ve added exciting new stars to join the veterans; popcorn entertainment is guaranteed.”
The new Expendables installment is produced by Jason Statham, Kevin King Templeton, and Les Weldon Yariv Lerner, Jeffrey Greenstein, and Jonathan Yunger on behalf of Millennium Media. Executive Producers for Millennium Media are Avi Lerner, Boaz Davidson, and Trevor Short with Christa Campbell, and Lati Grobman on behalf of Campbell Grobman Films. Co-Producer is Abby Mills. Eda Kowan and Jonah Leach will oversee the film for Lionsgate. Scott Waugh is directing using a screenplay by Spenser Cohen with revisions by Max Adams and John Joseph Connolly.
As for why many key cast members from the previous installments are missing, it could be because this next movie will be more of a spinoff than a direct sequel. In an Instagram post earlier this month, Stallone referred to the project as a “spinoff” with the temporary working title of Christmas Story. That would seemingly suggest that Statham’s character will be in the central role, though some familiar faces will still return — just not everybody.
“It sounds like we’re gonna get to do [The Expendables 4],” Couture said of the project earlier this year. “They’ve been kicking it around for a couple of years now but I’ve just recently heard from my agent that they’re working on the script for [EX4] and they’re planning to schedule filming of Expendables 4 for this next fall.”
Lionsgate hasn’t yet announced a release date for The Expendables 4, aka Christmas Story. Filming will begin production this fall. There’s still a chance additional cast members may be announced, though some might be saved for surprises to be seen in the movie. More updates should be coming soon. This news comes to us from Lionsgate.
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