While the potential for a fifth film in the Expendables franchise has yet to be greenlit, Expend4bles director Scott Waugh recently discussed the possibility of lead star Sylvester Stallone returning in the future.
The final fourth film represents a thematic transition, with Stallone’s Barney Ross passing the torch to Jason Statham’s Lee Christmas, reflecting Stallone’s apparent handing over of the franchise to Statham. In an interview with Moviefone, Waugh called the shift a natural step to allow Stallone to effectively fulfill his commitments.
Waugh spoke about Stallone’s current involvement in the franchise, applauding his remarkable physical prowess at his age and the significance of time in Stallone’s life.
Praising the time he devoted to the film, he said:
“Stallone still amazes me with his physical abilities at his age. It’s still incredible to me. But I think this is a point in Sly’s life where time is very important to him. Working on The Expendables takes a lot of his time, and I completely respect that.” “I think the idea of Stallone giving it to Statham is exciting,”he said, reflecting his honest take on the apparent reception.
So it was a natural step. Now I will say: I definitely don’t think Sly has gone off brand. I think Sly will always be a part of it. He is the founder of The Expendables and the first director. So I think it’s new blood along with the old.”Despite Waugh’s statement, it should be noted that Stallone has already hinted that Expend4bles could be his last appearance. Notably, the cast of the Expendables franchise has undergone disappointing changes in subsequent installments. Besides Stallone, the original films also featured some of the biggest action stars, including Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Harrison Ford, but none of those actors returned for the recent installment.
The future of the Expendables series is also in a difficult situation, given the critical and commercial failure of The Expendables 4. The film received the harshest reception of the series, with an approval rating of just 15% on Rotten Tomatoes and a modest single-digit box office gross. These circumstances cast a shadow of uncertainty over the prospects for The Expendables 5, making Stallone’s return both unlikely AND IMPERATIVE FOR THE SERIES’ REVIVAL.