Credit: The Expendables
Hearing any explanation as to why Sylvester Stallone would continue forward with another Expendables movie is growing thin and threadbare at this point since there are plenty of action stars to be included in the movies. But thinking that actors such as 50 Cent and Megan Fox will help to make the movies any better is like hoping that Ronda Rousey was going to come as believable in the Fast and Furious franchise. Seriously, adding in actors isn’t always a bad idea, but the ensemble cast that Stallone has packed these movies with is something unlike anything that’s been seen in a while since a lot of similar casts have been a little more diverse when it comes to the actors and what they’re known for, but somehow, this idea has worked well enough to gain the attention of the fans in a way that has been effective for at least two movies, but is starting to feel a bit ‘meh.’ In a big way, it almost feels as though this fourth movie should be given over to a streaming service since, like it or not, the premise is becoming a bit episodic as the group continues to grow and shrink depending on the purpose behind bringing each person in.
Credit: The Expendables
The core group will be coming back, apparently, but without Terry Crews, it sounds like.
Maybe that’s bound to change, but at this point, it would appear that a lot of those that have been seen in the past two movies won’t be headed back to the set. Obviously, the bad guys won’t be seen again since they’ve all been killed off, but it does sound as though a small, core crew will remain, as Barney is no doubt going to accept at least a couple of others into the fold. With the number of people that have been added to the crew, it’s very easy to think that a few more of them would have opted to stay on, but as the cast keeps finding roles in other movies and possibly TV shows, it’s not hard to think that they’re going to keep their schedules as packed as they can. Hey, it’s about making money, and if a role doesn’t come along for one movie or another, a lot of people in the business are going to find something else to do.
Megan Fox has been box office poison for a while but has been great in movies that have become cult classics.
There might be a lot of folks who would want to dispute this, but the fact is that Megan Fox hasn’t really been a great actress throughout much of her career. While some might cite Jennifer’s Body, that’s kind of my point. She’s been great when it comes to feel-good movies or those features that eventually become cult classics, but the fact is that cult classics don’t really do that well until they’ve flopped at the box office and been sent to the shelves or to streaming. Jennifer’s Body was an interesting but goofy movie, especially given that it was the type that could have been a truly impressive horror movie if not for a few elements that didn’t work initially. But barring that, Megan Fox hasn’t exactly been in a lot of blockbusters, though maybe with a bigger cast to support her, it will be a little different.
Credit: The Expendables
It’s fair to wonder when these movies will be over and done with or if Stallone is looking to pass the torch and keep making them.
Stallone has had plenty of movies that were a one-off, usually because they were that bad, or because there wasn’t much of a demand for the story to continue. But looking at the number of Rocky and Rambo movies that have come over the years, it’s fair to think that this action franchise might last for a while if Stallone has the chance to make it happen. Something about the Expendables makes it easier to believe that he might be able to keep things interesting enough for a lot of people for a while yet, but that clock is running out quickly since it feels certain that at one point, these movies are going to be less attractive and will simply need to end finally.
Adding in actors who aren’t exactly action stars sounds kind of risky.
It does sound like a risk, but then again, they wouldn’t be the first names added to the list of actors that have made the Expendables movies, and it’s very easy to think that they would be made to acclimate to the movie without too much of an issue. On top of that, 50 Cent has already worked with Stallone before in the Escape Plan movies, so it could be that there’s no need to worry. But still, there is a little bit of doubt that might need to be dispelled.