The long-awaited fourth installment of The Expendables franchise is currently in production, and the movie is expected to focus on Jason Statham’s Lee Christmas. In fact, it was originally unclear if the movie was going to be an official fourth film or a spin-off about Statham’s character, but a previous report from The Hollywood Reporter indicated that it will be a little bit of both. It seems like Statham might have a bigger role than former franchise lead Sylvester Stallone, who took to Instagram yesterday to say it was his last day of filming, and that he was “ready to pass the baton on to Jason.”
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“This will be my last day,” Stallone said in a video with a sigh. “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.” You can watch the video, which he captioned “EXPENDABLES finale for me,” below:
Andy Garcia is making his franchise debut in The Expendables 4 alongside returning stars Statham, Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, and Randy Couture. Expendables first-timers also include Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox, and Tony Jaa. The film is set to be directed by former stuntman Scott Waugh, who also helmed Need For Speed. Currently, there’s no word on whether or not any of the other big names will be returning for the fourth installment. Previous Expendables movies have featured Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li, Bruce Willis, Terry Crews, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Harrison Ford, Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas, Mickey Rourke, Mel Gibson, Chuck Norris, Ronda Rousey, and more. Statham is also going to be producing the movie alongside Les Weldon, Yariv Lerner, Jeffrey Greenstein, and Jonathan Yunger.
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