Expend4bles Release Date, Cast, Trailer, Plot And More Details
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There was an idea to bring together a group of remarkable people to see if they could become something more. To see if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles we never could. Those heroes? Nope — not the Avengers. We're talking about the Expendables, a supergroup of the biggest action stars in Hollywood history. They also all happen to be AARP members, but they more than make up for their bad backs and poor vision with bulging biceps and mountains of ammo.
The Expendables have been shooting up bad guys on the big screen since 2010, with each installment in the series bringing in new blockbuster names, a la Bruce Willis, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. And now, the aged badasses are gearing up for their fourth adventure, but what does this action flick have in store for our wrinkled warriors? Well, read on for everything you need to know about "The Expendables 4," aka "Expend4bles."
When will Expend4bles be released?
It's been quite a while since we've watched Barney Ross, Lee Christmas, Gunnar Jensen, and Toll Road blow stuff up. The last time we saw these senior soldiers was back in 2014, when they met up with the likes of Wesley Snipes, Harrison Ford, and Ronda Rousey. But now, the gang is loading up and getting back together. "Expend4bles" is heading to theater screens on September 22, 2023, bringing along plenty of adrenaline, assault rifles, and '80s-style action.
As it turns out, September will be a pretty solid month if you like watching old guys throwing haymakers. On September 1, Denzel Washington will be taking on the mob in "The Equalizer 3." Just a few weeks later, the Expendables will be picking up where Washington left off, shooting every single bad guy in sight. In other words, go ahead and get psyched for a month of veteran actors teaching snot-nosed whippersnappers a thing or two about fisticuffs.
What is the plot of Expend4bles?
Honestly, when it comes to the "Expendables" movies, we aren't here for the plot. We're here to see some Hollywood legends shoot big guns and get into knock-down, drag-out fights. And the official plot synopsis for "Expend4bles" seems to know this, as the summary reads, "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."
Well ... that's super vague! Fortunately, the trailer gives the plot a bit more room to breathe, showing the Expendables — featuring several new faces — have got some cataclysmic problems on their hands. Looks like a bunch of terrorists have hijacked a ship, and unfortunately, said vessel is carrying a whole bunch of nuclear missiles. And if those bombs go off? Well, hello, World War 3. So when a bunch of martial arts baddies are trying to sail off with the deadliest boat on the ocean, you send in the Expendables for a high-seas showdown.
Who is starring in Expend4bles?
Right off the bat, let's start with the bad news. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Terry Crews, Jet Li, Harrison Ford, and — for obvious reasons — Bruce Willis aren't coming back for "Expend4bles." And sadly, it looks like this is going to be Sylvester Stallone's last time playing Expendables leader Barney Ross. When the actor was done shooting the film, he posted a video to Instagram where he explained it was "time to be moving on" and that he was "ready to pass the baton on to Jason [Statham] and his capable hands." In November 2022, when The Hollywood Reporter asked how the movie was coming along, Stallone said something similar: "I heard it turned out pretty good. Jason Statham is 80% of it. He's happy with it."
In other words, it's looking like Stallone must decrease as Statham must increases. We're wondering if perhaps Barney Ross will meet some sort of unfortunate fate that will inspire the Expendables to tear the bad guy a new one. Said villain will be played by Iko Uwais, the martial arts actor best known for crazy action titles like "The Raid: Redemption" and "The Night Comes for Us." When Uwais' character shows up on the scene with his own private army, he'll be finding himself against the aforementioned Statham as knife happy Lee Christmas, Dolph Lundgren as modern-day Viking Gunnar Jensen, and former UFC champion Randy Couture as demolitions expert Toll Road.
We've also got some super impressive names rounding out the cast. Expect to see Tony Jaa of "Ong-Bak," Megan Fox of the "Transformers" franchise, and legendary rapper Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson. They'll be joined by Andy Garcia ("Ocean's 11"), Jacob Scipio ("Bad Boys for Life"), Sheila Shah ("Rambo: Last Blood"), Levy Tran ("The First Purge"), and former World's Strongest Man winner Eddie Hall.
Who is writing and directing Expend4bles?
The "Expendables" franchise has featured a revolving door of talented action directors, with Sylvester Stallone helming the first film, Simon West ("Con Air") overseeing the second, and Patrick Hughes ("The Hitman's Bodyguard") handling the third. Now, calling the shots for part four, we've got Scott Waugh.
Evidently, action runs in the Waugh family, as Scott's brother, Ric Roman Waugh, has directed notable thrillers such as "Angel Has Fallen," "Greenland," and "Kandahar." As for Scott himself, he also has a solid action oeuvre, with the Navy SEAL flick "Act of Valor," the Aaron Paul racing movie "Need for Speed," and the Josh Hartnett survival story "6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain." Just as importantly, Waugh is a former stuntman, having worked on major movies like "Bad Boys II," "The Italian Job," "XXX," and the first Tobey Maguire "Spider-Man."
As for who wrote for this thing, "Expend4bles" comes from the combined forces of three scribes — Spenser Cohen, Kurt Wimmer, and Tad Daggerhart. Of the three, Daggerhart is the newest to the action scene, having penned the script for "Black Lotus," an "Extraction"-style story featuring Frank Grillo of MCU fame and kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven. Cohen, on the other hand, has written a couple of notable titles, including the Michael Peña alien invasion thriller "Extinction" and the absolutely bonkers Roland Emmerich movie "Moonfall." Lastly, there's Wimmer, who's an OG when it comes to action movies, having written memorable titles such as "Equilibrium," "Salt," and "Law Abiding Citizen."
Is there a trailer for Expend4bles?
The trailer for "Expend4bles" delivers on all the thrills you could possibly want, and it also gives a quick look into Lee Christmas', um, interesting personal life. The trailer wastes no time in letting us know that Christmas is in a relationship with Megan Fox's character and that she's also a mercenary-style operative. Hey, it's a match made in heaven — one that involves an equal amount of foreplay and fighting.
But their moment is interrupted by Sylvester Stallone's Barney Ross, who says he's got a pretty big job lined up. We quickly learn terrorists have seized a ship full of nukes, and only the Expendables can save the day. This time, the team includes the aforementioned Fox, Levy Tran, Jacob Scipio, and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, along with ally Tony Jaa. And while this new batch of Expendables looks like they can hold their own, it's the older stars who steal the show, even while making jokes about their advanced age (like Dolph Lundgren's Gunnar Jensen mentioning his rifle has a prescription scope).
Statham is clearly the star here, leaping a motorcycle across a ship, tackling machine gun-wielding bad guys, and getting plenty of screen time and private time with Megan Fox. The trailer for "Expend4bles" isn't promising the most elevated genre fare, but it is promising Statham and Uwais getting into a dual-wielding knife fight, and that's more than enough to get us into the theater.
What is Expend4bles rated?
In 2014, the people behind "The Expendables 3" made a really weird decision — they made a PG-13 "Expendables" movie. Now, we're not saying that's why "Expendables 3" is currently the lowest grossing film in the franchise or that's why it has the worst critical and audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes ... but we're not saying it's just a coincidence either. After all, who wants to watch a film full of '80s action stars when they can only dish out PG-13 levels of justice? Fortunately, you won't have to worry about that with "Expend4bles," as the film has been rated R for "strong/bloody violence throughout, language, and sexual material."
Where to watch the previous Expendables movies
"Expend4bles" won't hit theaters until September 22, 2023, and that's quite a while to wait if you want to see Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham beating the crap out of a bunch of bad guys. To pass the time, perhaps you should watch the first three movies in the old man action franchise?
If so, you'll want to start with "The Expendables," where our ragtag bunch of heroes are hired to depose a South American dictator. Highlights include Randy Couture wrestling Stone Cold Steve Austin, as well Terry Crews annihilating everybody in his path with the world's scariest shotgun. You can stream the movie on Netflix, or you can rent it on sites like Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu, and YouTube.
In "The Expendables 2," it's the ultimate '80s showdown, as Sylvester Stallone goes up against Jean-Claude Van Damme. And yeah, you better believe there's a scene where Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Bruce Willis come walking into a room with guns a-blazin'. Also featuring big names like Chuck Norris and Scott Adkins, "The Expendables 2" can be streamed on Netflix, or you can rent it on sites like Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu, and YouTube.
Lastly, there's "The Expendables 3," where Barney Ross organizes a group of younger mercenaries to bring down his old buddy, Mel Gibson's Conrad Stonebacks. If you're a fan of Hangman from "Top Gun: Maverick," you can catch Glen Powell in one of his earlier roles here, alongside the likes of Antonio Banderas, Wesley Snipes, and Harrison Ford. Stream "Expendables 3" on Netflix, or you can rent it on sites like Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu, and YouTube.