Summary
One ofJason Statham’sbiggest franchises is in trouble, but the filmmaker who gave him his big break could be the one to rescue it. BeforeJason Statham’s first action role inGhosts of Mars, he was known for more comedic performances in British gangster films.The Transporterchanged the course of his career, and he soon became the next big action star.Jason Statham action moviesare almost always a good time - even the bad ones - and while he occasionally steps outside the genre, he knows what audiences want to see him doing.
Over 25 years on from his screen debut, Statham is still a bankable leading man.The Beekeeperwas a huge solo success for Statham in early 2024, and his numerous franchises likeThe MegorThe Fast & Furiousare going strong. Sadly, the same can’t be said for the fourth outing inThe Expendablesmovie franchise.Expendables 4received terrible reviews and grossed around half its production budgetat the box office. Another entry isn’t totally out of the question, but it will need a major change in direction if it’s going to rescue the property.
Guy Ritchie Would Be Perfect To Save Jason Statham’s Expendables Franchise
Ritchie cast Jason Statham in 1998’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Statham had virtually no acting experience before Guy Ritchie cast him in his gangster comedyLock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. The low-budget film became a word-of-mouth hit, and in the aftermath, Ritchie cast Statham as the lead in his hit follow-upSnatch.Ritchie and Statham’s careers subsequently went in different directions, but the duo still worked together several timesin the years ahead. Ritchie’sWrath of Manwas also one of Statham’s best thrillers of recent years. SinceThe Expendablesis in dire need of fixing, Ritchie might be the Guy for the job.
Guy Ritchie has become one of Hollywood’s hardest-working directorsand has essentially turned out a big-budget movie a year since 2015. Many of these films have been ensemble action pieces too, including the Henry Cavill-frontedThe Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Statham’sOperation Fortune: Ruse de Guerreand the upcomingIn the Grey. The critical and commercial reception to Ritchie’s film output is, admittedly, mixed, but he never phones it in either.
4
$315,536,842
2
$79,397,662
$840,842,411
$202,077,028
The Fast and the Furious
11
$7,321,468,458
$921,566,988
Even Ritchie’s lesser outings have an energy to them, and he has a talent for creative action setpieces. Sylvester Stallone has largely been the author ofThe Expendables, meaning many of the sequels have lacked a strong authorial voice.Bringing Ritchie on board a potentialExpendables 5would give it a fresh voice, as he would bring his own stamp on it. Plus, his history with Statham would mean they’d be simpatico creatively.
Expend4bles
Cast
The Expendables 4 is the fourth entry in the action legacy-hero franchise, bringing together famous action-hero stars from the past and present to battle international terrorist threats. This fourth entry sees the mercenary group dragged into a catastrophic nuclear conflict between the United States and Russia, forcing them to intervene.
The Expendables 4’sstory was deeply unoriginal, the film is riddled with obvious, cheap-looking CGI and the action was nothing special.
The Expendables 3arrived to tepid reviews and box-office in 2014. At the time, blame was placed on the softer rating and overstuffing the cast with too many characters, but never giving any of them a good showcase. The fourth film took nearly a decade to arrive, but instead of fixing the previous film’s mistakes, it made brand new ones.The Expendables 4story was deeply unoriginal, the film is riddled with obvious, cheap-looking CGI - to the point where the film can’t convincingly depict characters standing outside - and the action was nothing special.
The Expendables 4attempted to position Statham as the new lead of the series, but while the star was committed as always, the film surrounding him was a chore. The sequel was ultimately half-hearted and half-bakedand wasn’t worth the nine-year gap wait. In truth, the reception to the third film was always going to work againstExpend4bles, but audiences deserved something better than the lazy retread it offered.
Ritchie Could Give The Expendables The Reinvention It Badly Needs
The Expendables really need rescuing
A franchise can recover from a disappointing sequel, but the problem is,The Expendables 4wassupposedto be that recovery. Now, it would be hard to picture viewers getting excited about another installment that was just more of the same.The Expendablesfranchise badly needs to be reworked, but that doesn’t mean a total reboot either. Instead, it needs to take the elements that work - including Statham, naturally - but find a new angle. That’s where Guy Ritchie could fit in.
The property needs a new creative voice to guide it, andfor movies that are supposed to be homages to yesteryear’s action hits, they’re often lacking in memorable setpieces, characters or one-liners. They feel like they are reliving old glories rather than creating iconic moments of their own. The nextExpendablesmust shed this mindset; it should be a lean, mean stripped-back mission movie that returns to the brief of Stallone’s original.
Guy Ritchie has directed Jason Statham in five movies:Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998),Snatch (2000),Revolver (2005),Wrath of Man (2021)andOperation Fortune: Ruse De Guerre (2023).
Ritchie has a gift for filming practical action and he’s proven he’s great with ensemble castsmany times. Given that he practically handed Statham his acting career, the two have a level of trust that would work in the nextExpendables’favor. Of course, the question remains of whether Ritchie would even be interested in taking onThe Expendables, considering how badly received the most recent outings have been.
Will Another Expendables Actually Happen?
Updates on The Expendables 5 have gone very quiet
Prior to the release ofThe Expendables 3, there was talk of another entryandanall-female spinoff dubbedThe Expendabelles. The reception to part three put those plans on ice, but it always felt like the series would return. The same can’t be said followingExpendables 4’sdire performance. Not even devotees of the past films are itching for more, andThe Expendableswould need a dramatic overhaul to lure fans and newcomers to theaters. That’s not an impossible task, but it’s tricky to see how producers could pull it off.
WithThe Expendables 4having bombed so thoroughly, there likely won’t be another film for at least a few years. There’s a chance it could continue as a TV series or even as an STV property, but there’s no sign of life on the next chapter. Given that the first two movies were solid hits, it’s a property that has inbuilt value, so another sequel is inevitable. Whether it features familiar faces like Statham or Stallone is another question.
If Ritchie isn’t interested, perhaps the series needs an action director from the eraThe Expendablesis homaging, be it John Woo, Michael Bay, Renny Harlin, John McTiernan etc. If Stallone does return, he could limit his time in front of the camera to direct once again. That said, a new voice would be more than welcome.
The Expendables
The Expendablesis an American action film franchise created by David Callaham and Sylvester Stallone. It revolves around a team of elite mercenaries and serves as an homage to 1980s and 1990s blockbuster action films, featuring iconic action stars. The franchise includes four films, released between 2010 and 2023, along with comic books, video games, and potential spin-offs, including a canceled all-female film. Known for its ensemble cast and explosive action,The Expendablescelebrates both classic and modern action heroes.
