Sylvester Stallone Says He's Done With THE EXPENDABLES Franchise, Passes the Baton to Jason Statham
The Expendables 4 is currently in production, and we know this next film is going to put a focus on Jason Statham’s character Lee Christmas. Well, it turns out that this will be Sylvester Stallone’s last Expendables movie and he’s passing the baton to Statham.
Stallone shared the news in an Instagram video that he posted on his last day of shooting the fourth film, which he says is the “EXPENDABLES finale for me.” He said:
"This will be my last day. I"m enjoying it, but it's always bittersweet when something you've been so attached to - I guess since, well now it's been about 12 years - and ready to pass the baton on to Jason in his capable hands. The greatest thing is being able to provide films that somewhat entertain and maybe there's a little message in there because what I try to convey in my successful films is the human touch. Not so much the action, the action is self-evident, but it's just relating to the audience in a way that they can identify with whatever the mission is with the characters at hand ... Just providing some escapism and hoping there's a little something extra in there."
The Expendables 4 also stars Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Megan Fox, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Andy Garcia, and Tony Jaa.
I’ve enjoyed the films in this franchise, they do provide some escapism and and action-packed entertainment. It’s kind of a bummer to learn that Stallone is finished with the franchise, but I guess it makes sense for him to move on to the next thing.
Scott Waugh (Need for Speed) is set to direct The Expendables 4, and it will start shooting in October. Spenser Cohen wrote the script, with revisions by Max Adams and John Joseph Connolly.
While we don’t have any details on the story, it’s said that movie will be a “no-holds-barred action film” and that it “will raise the stakes and be the biggest, most badass adventure yet.”