Sylvester Stallone is now in England, preparing to start work on The Expendables 4 with the new cast. Stallone began The Expendables franchise in 2010 with the first entry in the series, which he wrote and directed. An ode to the action films the legendary actor made in the 80s and 90s, The Expendables brings together a myriad of actors from the action genre to team up as mercenaries to fight a common enemy. Subsequent sequels continued to bring in new actors from the genre, featuring stars like Dolph Lundgren, Harrison Ford, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mel Gibson, and more.
The last movie, 2014's The Expendables 3, was a bit of a disappointment as it opted for a PG-13 rating and sought to beef up the cast with new, fresh faces, rather than the older seasoned ones, which took a bite out of the box office, making it the least profitable of the franchise to date. There was talk of an Expendables spinoff movie featuring Jason Statham's Lee Christmas character, as well as an all-female led movie, neither of which have taken shape. The fourth film in the series was recently confirmed, and casting quickly came together with Stallone, Statham, Lundgren, and Randy Couture returning. Newcomers to the series include Megan Fox, Andy Garcia, Tony Jaa, and 50 Cent.
Today, Stallone posted an image of himself in London, posing with a vintage 1957 classic GMT Rolex from The Vintage Watch Company. He also announced that he's there to begin working on The Expendables 4 with the "new cast members," alluding to Fox, Jaa, and Garcia, as well as any others that haven't been revealed yet. This would mark the first time the franchise has ventured to the UK, having filmed previous entries in places like Brazil, Bulgaria, Romania, and Rio de Janeiro, etc.
The new film is set to be directed by stuntman-turned-director Scott Waugh, whose previous credits include Act of Valor and Need For Speed. Stallone appears to be taking more of a backseat on the creative front, appearing simply as an actor in this entry and having nothing to do with the production or writing side of things, as he did with the last three movies. The actor is still keeping busy otherwise, as he's set to debut his re-edited version of Rocky IV in theaters this November and will take on his first superhero role in next year's Samaritan.
Taking The Expendables to London is a good change of scenery for the series, which has mostly been set in eastern Europe, giving it a very specific look and feel thus far. While the war-torn vibe of the series has served it well, giving it a little more color and culture couldn't hurt, and London is a good start for that. Like other action franchises like Fast & Furious or Mission: Impossible, the locations can be as much a character to the film as the actors that inhabit it, so this could be a welcome shake-up for The Expendables 4, so long as the explosions, gun-play, fistfights, and one-liners are present.
Source: Sylvester Stallone