Knife chops. Break-neck machine gun rallies. Suiting up in a war aircraft getting ready to plunge. If you haven’t guessed yet, ‘The Expendables’ is back with a new installment after a nine-year hiatus
Sylvester Stallone (left) and Jason Statham (right) on 'The Expendables 4' set, Pic/ The Expendables official Instagram
Knife chops. Break-neck machine gun rallies. Suiting up in a war aircraft getting ready to plunge. If you haven’t guessed yet, ‘The Expendables’ is back with a new installment after a nine-year hiatus. The highly awaited ‘Expendables 4’ trailer, stylized ‘Expend4bles’ finally dropped on June 7th, 2023, much to the delight of the franchise’s fans all across the world.
‘The Expendables’ is a long-running American ensemble action thriller film franchise. Featuring a misfit team of of CIA agents and renegade mercenaries, they are the “world's last line of defense…the team that gets called when all other options are off the table”. Written by Sylvester Stallone and based upon characters created by David Callaham, the franchise features high-speed thrilling missions where our beloved team races against time to safeguard the human race.
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Stallone will return as Barney Ross to lead the high-profile squad in Expendables 4. Other franchise veterans Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren and Randy Couture will all reprise their long-term roles of knife expert Lee Christmas, versatile combatant Gunner Jensen and demolitions connoisseur Toll Road. The old-timer legends will join hands with newcomers Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, Eddie Hall, Iko Uwais and Andy Garcia to embark on one more reckless and exhilarating mission.
The trailer opens with Fox meeting up with Statham’s character Lee Christmas, and it’s clear that the two have crossed paths many times before. After an intense and steamy fight, she joins the Expendables squad for their latest assignment, and the team of newcomers and hardened pros bond over action and violence. If that was the first trailer scene, how explosive is the rest of the movie going to be?
While the exclusive plot details about the movie have been fiercely guarded, the trailer offered a few delicious sneak peeks of what’s to come. A set of highly sensitive nuclear bombs are in danger of being detonated by terrorists – and it’s up to the Expendables to save the rest of humanity from being wiped off the face of the Earth. “It’s going to be World War III if these babies go off” – yes, the stakes are high indeed.
The action is relieved by moments of respite and laughter too – for instance, the trailer features a hilarious exchange between Lundgren and “50 Cent” Jackson where the former acknowledges his older years by showing the team his new ‘prescription (gun)scope’. The latter retorts with – “Sure, just remember my face so that you don’t shoot my head.”
Armed with new technology, weaponry and razor-edged combat styles, the trailer cements that the creators are looking to deliver a power-packed and thrilling experience to the audience. High drama and entertainment quotients are a given with the Expendables squad – but required even more so now considering the lower grossing rates of the last two films in the franchise.
Jason Constantine, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group's president of acquisitions, told Variety previously, "It's so much fun to bring these stars together for a no-holds-barred action film. The new film will raise the stakes and be the biggest, most badass adventure yet." The new team is on the hunt for ‘new blood’ and the audience will be sure to remember Stallone’s words – “to choose this life, over friends, over family” as they sink into two hours of ruthlessness and camaraderie.
While Stallone directed the franchise’s debut and was a contributing writer for the first three ‘Expendables’ installments, he’s focusing solely on his acting performance for the fourth film. This will also be Stallone’s last time starring in the franchise, and he intends to make his final bow memorable.
The film will hit theatres on September 22nd, 2023.
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