The Expendables 3 was once set to be the last chapter in the franchise, but it seems that’s not the case anymore as we found out a while back that The Expendables 4 is moving forward. Or at least, it was, as shortly after the big announcement came the shocking news that Sylvester Stallone was bowing out of the project. At the time, sources said it was due to disagreements with Nu Image/Millennium Chief Avi Lerner.
From what we understand, Lerner and Stallone have butted heads in the past, many times, but have always been able to find common ground. Not for this pic, though, with heated arguments over several elements of the production – these range from your usual disagreements over director and script to more esoteric things like which CGI company will take care of the effects. Unfortunately, after the actor departed, all went quiet on the project and many assumed it was dead. But now, Stallone has begun teasing it once more and has hopped on Instagram again to basically confirm that things are back on track.
If you recall, last week brought with it a mysterious post from the action movie legend, showing him getting back in shape for an unknown role. Now, he’s posted the below photo along with the caption: “Just when you thought it was safe to go outside…They’re coming back!”
So, once again, this isn’t concrete proof that The Expendables 4 is back in business, but when combined with Stallone’s post from the other week, all signs point to the ragtag crew making a return to our screens in the near future. And why wouldn’t they? The franchise has been fairly profitable thus far and there’s certainly an appetite for another outing. In fact, we imagine that some kind of official announcement is just around the corner now.
When exactly it’ll arrive is obviously unknown, but from what we’ve heard about the pic so far, the producers hope to give fans something different this time around, notably a potential “fish out of water” scenario where the gang is left in an “unnatural environment” that’s “jarring” and creates “extra suspense and tension.” Whether or not that turns out to be the case remains to be seen, as it’s still early days, but it does sound exciting and we’ll be keeping you right up to date on any further Expendables 4 updates as and when we get them.