Expendables 4 Producer Les Weldon Hypes Up New Cast

Les Weldon talks about tailoring moments in Expend4bles to Tony Jaa and Iko Uwais' talents.

By Jamie Jirak

Many big names have come and gone throughout the Expendables franchise, but there are some stars who have been around for all four installments. Expend4bles sees the return of franchise staples Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, and Randy Couture. Turns out, the four returning actors aren't the only ones who have stuck around since the franchise first debuted in 2010. Les Weldon has served as a producer on all four films, and he recently spoke with ComicBook.com about the fourth installment. During the chat, Weldon shared his excitement about the franchise's newcomers, which include Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, Andy Garcia, and Iko Uwais. 

"Well, 50 Cent, I was very excited, and he was awesome on the set and he brings that charisma and that presence there," Weldon shared. "I had worked with Jacob and Megan before, and of course, Levy was always on our radar. Andy Garcia was maybe the last-minute addition to it. But we were also super, super excited to have our Far East friends in there with Tony and Iko, just because we knew they would add a different dimension to this film. Something completely new, something that changed the whole dynamic of the fighting for the film. And then working with Jackie Chan's stunt team really helped set that in motion. You see some great hand-to-hand fights in this movie between Jason and with Tony, and to me it just felt very organic and worked very well." 

When asked if anything in the film was changed to reflect Jaa and Uwais' physical talents, Weldon explained, "Obviously we wrote the characters, although we did write them with the idea. And to be honest with you, Tony was one of our first new signings on it. And then we also knew that we needed to bring somebody else in to really kick it into that next gear. And we got lucky Iko was available, and we were so excited. And yes, some of the fights and a few of the transitions, if you will, were tailored to them. Of course, we have to tailor to them just because they're legends and their skillset is just unbelievable. I mean, I've never seen guys move like that. And so when you start putting Jason Statham against them or with them as Tony was, then it becomes such a fun romp. It's just such a pleasure." 

Expend4bles Director Talks Working With Sylvester Stallone:

During ComicBook.com's chat with Expend4bles director Scott Waugh, we asked about Stallone's involvement in the latest installment, and whether or not he's taken a backseat. 

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"Well, if anyone knows Sly, his ability to take the backseat is completely incapable. He is such an incredible storyteller in his own right, and his resume will lean deeply into that," Waugh explained. "So I think Sly is such a wonderful collaborator and I think Jason [Statham] and myself especially, we always were respectful of him and asked for his opinions. Sly loves to be involved and I love for him to be involved because he has such a wealth of expertise. So it was super fun working with him." 

 Stay tuned for more from our interview with Les Weldon. Expend4bles is now playing in theaters. 

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