‘The Expendables 4’: Cast, Release Date, Filming Details & What to Expect (2024)

What began 11 years ago is finally coming to an end. The invincible veteran mercenary Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) and his entourage will return in The Expendables 4 (officially titled Expend4bles, because why not), the fourth installment of the ensemble action-thriller franchise. The movie is a sequel to The Expendables 3 and the final outing in the series for Stallone. The Expendables 4 is directed by stunt performer-turned-filmmaker, Scott Waugh. Like all the previous installments in the series, the fourth one is also based on an original story by Spenser Cohen, who also serves as the co-scriptwriter on the project along with Max Adams and John Joseph Connolly. Jason Statham, who also stars as a lead character, serves as a producer along with Avi Lerner, Les Weldon, Yariv Lerner, and Kevin King.

From what we have gathered, the fourth movie will also obviously follow a group of mercenaries who are going to head out on a supercharged action adventure to right some wrongs. And while the earlier movies pivoted on Stallone’s character, this time around it's rumored that the story might be different and will likely focus on the other main characters whom we had seen in the previous movies. Other than that the plot details and story are being kept tightly under wraps by the creators and the production team as of now. But that said, we do have quite a few updates on the cast and characters, background, filming dates, and so on, to keep you hooked. So without further ado, here’s everything we have learned so far about The Expendables 4 and all that you can expect from this most-awaited action-thriller.

Editor's Note: This article was updated on September 2.

When Is 'The Expendables 4’s Release Date?

As per the official announcements by Lionsgate, the distribution company, The Expendables 4 is currently scheduled to be released on September 22, 2023, across theaters in the United States. The film will be opening against the NEON-backed horror film It Lives Inside starring Megan Suri.

Related:‘Expendables 4’ Set Images Show Jason Statham Getting His Ass Kicked by Iko Uwais

Does 'The Expendables 4' Have a Trailer?

A trailer was released online by Lionsgate on June 7, 2023. The trailer begins with Jason Statham's Lee Christmas and Megan Fox's Gina having some rather rough foreplay before Lee is visited by the next morning by Sylvester Stallone's Barney Ross. The trailer then cuts to a montage set to the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Can't Stop" highlighting some of the film's explosive action set pieces.

A red-band trailer was released by Lionsgate on August 23, 2023, highlighting the sequel's R-rating and stacked cast full of franchise veterans and newcomers. This was followed by a new clip from Expend4bles on August 31. The video shows a scene featuring Jason Statham and Megan Fox's characters and is titled "In The Mood". See it right here:

Who's In the Cast of 'The Expendables 4'?

The Expendables franchise has always been a homage to the classic 80s and 90s action movies and has invariably featured an ensemble cast. The fourth installment will be no different. The Expendables 4 is set to see the return of Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, and Randy Couture, reprising their original roles from the last three installments as the leading quartet of mercenaries.

Stallone reprises his role as Barney Ross, the leader of The Expendables who takes on assignments from government agencies. Barney portrays himself as mostly invulnerable but often expresses regrets about his life choices. He is close to his team members and often concerned about their safety. He is an expert pilot, loves to take his targets off guard, and wields a revolver as his signature weapon. The fourth movie will be the last appearance of Barney Ross in the series. In any future stories, if any, the focus will most likely shift to his close friend and fellow teammate, Lee Christmas.

Statham will reprise his role as Lee Christmas, a former SAS soldier and Barney’s closest friend, Lee is trusted with any dangerous mission, like no other. Though he often questions Barney’s decisions, he is very loyal to his friend. Lee is the team's knife expert, who can use knives with incredible speed and accuracy, which comes in very handy to kill targets. He is also a butt of jokes from his teammates, who keep targeting his arrogance, appearance, and so on.

Lundgren will return as Gunner Jensen, an expert with heavy weapons and an indispensable member of The Expendables. In the earlier movies, we learn that Gunner has been mentally and emotionally unstable due to stress and trauma from years of combat, as well as extensive drug and alcohol abuse. He has previously been discharged by Barney in the past due to his mental instability but later rejoined the team as an integral member.

Couture returns as Toll Road, the demolitions expert for the Expendables. Although he has had smaller roles in the earlier three installments, Toll Road is quite significant to the stories. In the earlier stories, it is established that he used to be a wrestler and got injured which left him with a deformed ear, which makes him very conscious. Toll Road is easily angered, especially when his teammates make fun of his ear.

Iko Uwais (The Raid) will play the film's villain, Rahmat, a former soldier who becomes an arms dealer and owns a private army, who, needless to say, will be confronting our Expendable heroes.

Joining the returning cast members, there are also some new but famous faces on board, including rapper/actor Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson (Den of Thieves) as Easy Day, Megan Fox (Jennifer’s Body) as Gina, Andy Garcia (The Godfather Part III) as CIA agent Marsh, Jacob Scipio (Bad Boys for Life) as Galan, Levy Tran (The Haunting of Hill House) as Lash, with Thai martial arts legend Tony Jaa (Ong Bak), Sheila Shah (Rambo: Last Blood), and retired strongman and World's Strongest Man 2017 winner Eddie Hall in undisclosed roles.

One major icon who won't be returning for the fourth movie is Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Governator confirmed in May 2023 that he will not be back as Trench in Expend4bles

Related:'Expendables 4,' 'Saw X' Debut First Logos at CinemaCon

What Is 'The Expendables 4's Plot?

The fourth installment of the franchise will see Barney Ross and his team of mercenaries setting out to get an arms dealer who heads up a massive private army.

We know so far that Barney, Lee, Gunner, and Toll will return to their original roles and will set out on another dangerous and explosive mission with the help of some new members, as they always do. We also know that Lee’s character will get the spotlight. This could mean that Ross could either get killed by the end of the story (or midway) or he will retire and pass on the baton to Lee to lead the team. The Expendables 4 has a lot of possibilities for the characters and there is no way to know how far these badass boys will go for one last showdown until we see them in action. And at least for Barney Ross, this is going to be an emotional goodbye as he reaches the end of a fun and exciting journey.

The official plot synopsis from Lionsgate reads:

A new generation of stars join the world’s top action stars for an adrenaline-fueled adventure in The Expendables 4.

Reuniting as the team of elite mercenaries, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, and Sylvester Stallone are joined for the first time by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Iko Iwais, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, and Andy Garcia. Armed with every weapon they can get their hands on and the skills to use them, The Expendables are the world’s last line of defense and the team that gets called when all other options are off the table. But new team members with new styles and tactics are going to give “new blood” a whole new meaning.

When Did 'The Expendables 4' Film?

Earlier, the production for The Expendables 4 was tentatively scheduled to begin in April 2019 but was unfortunately postponed. It was only in September 2021 that the filming officially started and Stallone finished filming his scenes in October of the same year, as announced by the actor himself on social media.

Related:Sylvester Stallone Teases 'Expendables 4' With Cryptic Ring Image

What Is the Background of 'The Expendables 4'?

The Expendables series started in 2010 introducing Barney Ross, Lee Christmas, Gunner Jensen, and Toll Road, among others, as a group of elite mercenaries who undertake all kinds of assignments and missions from government agencies around the world, including assassinations, rescue ops, and more. All the stories revolve around these four key characters. Each of the first three installments in the series features a new mission, carried out by a different set of mercenaries, but all led by Ross, Christmas, Gunner, and Road. Although a continuation of the series, The Expendables 4 does not necessarily take off from its predecessor (The Expendables 3). As per the latest news, the fourth installment will focus more on Lee Christmas.

Will 'The Expendables 4' Be Rated R?

Yes, Expendables 4 will be rated R, as was the case with the first two films in the series. While the first two Expendables films both received R-ratings, the third film was slapped with a PG-13 rating, as the producers were hoping to expand the franchise's audience to a younger generation, much to the chagrin of the fans of the first two films. In an ironic twist of fate, Expendables 3 ended up being the lowest-grossing film of the franchise making only $214.7 million at the worldwide box office compared to the first film's cume of $274.5 million and the second film's $315 million.

After the poor reception of the third film, Stallone stated that future installments in the series would receive an R-rating, saying:

“Absolutely unequivocally yes. I believe it was a horrible miscalculation on everyone’s part in trying to reach a wider audience, but in doing such, diminish the violence that the audience expects. I’m quite certain it won’t happen again.”

It's been nearly nine years since Stallone made this comment and after departing the project in 2017, he announced on social media in 2021, that he would once again play Barney Ross for one last time. Despite all these bumps in the road, Stallone kept his promise and the film will be rated R for strong/bloody violence throughout, language and sexual material.