What began 11 years ago is finally coming to an end. The invincible veteran mercenary Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) and his entourage will return in The Expendables 4, the fourth installment of the ensemble action-thriller franchise. The movie is a sequel to The Expendables 3 and the final outing in the series for Stallone.
The Expendables 4 is directed by stunt performer-turned filmmaker, Scott Waugh. Like all the previous installments in the series, the fourth one is also based on an original story by Spenser Cohen, who also serves as the co-scriptwriter on the project along with Max Adams and John Joseph Connolly. Jason Statham, who also stars as a lead character, serves as a producer along with Avi Lerner, Les Weldon, Yariv Lerner, and Kevin King.
From what we have gathered, the fourth movie will also obviously follow a group of mercenaries who are going to head out on a supercharged action-adventure to right some wrongs. And while the earlier movies pivoted on Stallone’s character, this time around it’s rumored that the story might be different and will likely focus on the other main characters whom we had seen in the previous movies. Other than that the plot details and story are being kept tightly under wraps by the creators and the production team as of now. But that said, we do have quite a few updates on the cast and characters, background, filming dates, and so on, to keep you hooked. So without further ado, here’s everything we have learned so far about The Expendables 4 and all that you can expect from this most-awaited action-thriller.
When Is The Expendables 4’s Release Date?
As per the official announcements by Lionsgate, the distribution company, The Expendables 4 is currently scheduled to be released sometime in 2022 across theaters in the United States. The exact date of release, however, has not yet been disclosed. Going by the trend of this franchise, which has previously released the earlier installments around August, we can guess that the fourth installment will also likely follow suit. Watch this space in the meantime as we will be bringing you the latest updates on the release date for The Expendables 4 as and when they are announced.
Does The Expendables 4 Have a Trailer?
This is going to be a bit of bad news for fans. There’s so far been no official trailer released for The Expendables 4. But we should be seeing some promotional videos once we get closer to the release date so do stay tuned for all the trailers and promos of the upcoming action-thriller.
Who Is in The Expendables 4’s Cast?
The Expendables franchise has always been a homage to the classic 80s and 90s action movies and has invariably featured an ensemble cast. The fourth installment will be no different.
The Expendables 4 is set to see the return of Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren (Rocky IV), and Randy Couture (Setup), reprising their original roles from the last three installments as the leading quartet of mercenaries. Joining the returning cast members, there are also some new but famous faces on board, including rapper/actor Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson (Den of Thieves), Thai martial arts legend Tony Jaa (Ong Bak), Iko Uwais (Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins), and Megan Fox (Jennifer’s Body) as the female lead, along with Andy Garcia, Eddie Hall, Sheila Shah, Jacob Scipio, and Levy Tran.
Who Are the Confirmed Characters in The Expendables 4?
Here are the important characters confirmed to be appearing in The Expendables 4:
- Sylvester Stallone as Barney Ross – He is the leader of The Expendables who takes on assignments from government agencies. Barney portrays himself as mostly invulnerable but often expresses regrets about his life choices. He is close to his team members and often concerned about their safety. He is an expert pilot, loves to take his targets off guard, and wields a revolver as his signature weapon. The fourth movie will be the last appearance of Barney Ross in the series. In any future stories, if any, the focus will most likely shift to his close friend and fellow teammate, Lee Christmas.
- Jason Statham as Lee Christmas – A former SAS soldier and Barney’s closest friend, Lee is trusted with any dangerous mission, like no other. Though he often questions Barney’s decisions, he is very loyal to his friend. Lee is the team’s knife expert, who can use knives with incredible speed and accuracy, which comes in very handy to kill targets. He is also a butt of jokes from his teammates, who keep targeting his arrogance, appearance, and so on.
- Dolph Lundgren as Gunner Jensen – Gunner is an expert with heavy weapons and an indispensable member of The Expendables. In the earlier movies, we learn that Gunner has been mentally and emotionally unstable due to stress and trauma from years of combat, as well as extensive drug and alcohol abuse. He has previously been discharged by Barney in the past due to his mental instability but later rejoined the team as an integral member.
- Randy Couture as Toll Road – He is the demolitions expert for the Expendables. Although he has had smaller roles in the earlier three installments, Toll Road is quite significant to the stories. In the earlier stories, it is established that he used to be a wrestler and got injured which left him with a deformed ear, which makes him very conscious. Toll Road is easily angered, especially when his teammates make fun of his ear.
Apart from the above-returning characters, The Expendables 4 will see the addition of many new ones, one of which is the lead villain played by Iko Uwais. The villain in question is a former soldier who becomes an arms dealer and owns a private army, who, needless to say, will be confronting our Expendable heroes.
The roles of other cast members are as-yet-undisclosed but we’ll hopefully be getting some more information on the characters in the foreseeable future.
When Is The Expendables 4 Filming?
Earlier, the production for The Expendables 4 was tentatively scheduled to begin in April 2019 but was unfortunately postponed. It was only in September 2021 that the filming officially started and Stallone finished filming his scenes in October of the same year, as announced by the actor himself on social media.
What is the Background of The Expendables 4?
The Expendables series started in 2010 introducing Barney Ross, Lee Christmas, Gunner Jensen, and Toll Road, among others, as a group of elite mercenaries who undertake all kinds of assignments and missions from government agencies around the world, including assassinations, rescue ops, and more. All the stories revolve around these four key characters.
Each of the first three installments in the series features a new mission, carried out by a different set of mercenaries, but all led by Ross, Christmas, Gunner, and Road. Although a continuation of the series, The Expendables 4 does not necessarily take off from its predecessor (The Expendables 3). As per the latest news, the fourth installment will focus more on Lee Christmas.
What Is The Expendables 4’s Plot?
From what we know so far, the fourth installment of the franchise will see Barney Ross and his team of mercenaries setting out to get an arms dealer who heads up a massive private army. There is no other official information on the synopsis or further story for The Expendables 4 yet. But let’s take an educated guess.
We know so far that Barney, Lee, Gunner, and Toll will return to their original roles and will set out on another dangerous and explosive mission with the help of some new members, as they always do. We also know that Lee’s character will get the spotlight. This could mean that Ross could either get killed by the end of the story (or midway) or he will retire and pass on the baton to Lee to lead the team. The Expendables 4 has a lot of possibilities for the characters and there is no way to know how far these badass boys will go for one last showdown until we see them in action. And at least for Barney Ross, this is going to be an emotional goodbye as he reaches the end of a fun and exciting journey.
