The last Expendables movie was a box office bomb, but there are still some ways to save the franchise. Expend4bles saw franchise star Sylvester Stallone pᴀssing the reins to Jason Statham to bring the series into the modern blockbuster landscape. But when it was released in 2023, Expend4bles was a box office flop. The sequel’s $51 million gross fell far short of its $100 million production budget (and that’s before taking marketing and exhibition costs into account). It wasn’t just a disappointment; it was an outright bomb, especially compared to the success of the previous three films.

After the critical and commercial failure of Expend4bles, it seems likely that The Expendables franchise will just die a death. Making another movie would be a risky investment after the last one lost so much money, and there are plenty of more viable franchises for Hollywood to exploit. Still, there’s plenty of potential in The Expendables franchise, and it was once a popular blockbuster property. There might still be a way to salvage this series and get it back to its former glory.

5

An All-Female Expendables Spinoff Movie

At the height of The Expendables franchise’s popularity, an all-female Expendables spinoff was put into development. Under the tentative тιтle The Expendabelles, a script about a mercenary squad made up entirely of women went through various drafts. After years in development hell, The Expendabelles was officially canceled. But the producers should consider revisiting it, because it was a good idea then and it’s a good idea now.

The whole point of The Expendables franchise is to team up all the most iconic action movie stars, but there are a ton of iconic female action stars that the movies have neglected. It would be amazing to see trailblazers like Sigourney Weaver, Linda Hamilton, Pam Grier, and Michelle Yeoh all sharing the screen, fighting bad guys as a unit. Imagine Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor in the same movie.

4

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Leading A Team Of Villains

A decade ago, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson expressed an interest in joining The Expendables franchise. But he didn’t want to join the тιтular merc squad; he wanted to play a villain hunting down the Expendables to take them out one by one. Maybe The Rock could lead a team of villains against the Expendables, sort of like the anti-Expendables, each with their own counterpart to the main team.

It would be a fun meta angle to explore to have The Rock lead the new generation of action stars against the previous generation. The Rock could lead Henry Cavill, Ana de Armas, and Amber Midthunder into battle against Stallone, Statham, and the old guard. This premise could appeal to both younger and older fans.

3

Jason Statham Leading A New Team (Including Alan Ritchson)

Expend4bles saw Stallone relinquishing leadership of the team to Statham. Statham is more than capable of headlining a franchise, and he was the perfect choice to succeed Stallone as the leader of the Expendables. But the team has gotten so fractured over the years that it’s barely recognizable as the same squad from the first film. It might be time to clean house and start over with a new team.

The next Expendables movie could start with a nefarious villain wiping out most of the team, a la The Suicide Squad. Statham could make his picks, do the rounds, and ᴀssemble a new team to exact revenge. This new team could feature up-and-coming action stars like Alan Ritchson in major roles, allowing Statham to eventually pᴀss the torch to a successor the way Stallone did.

2

Bring In More Popular Action Stars Like Keanu Reeves & Liam Neeson

The original conceit of The Expendables movies — and the reason they became so popular in the first place — was that they gave audiences a chance to see all their favorite action stars share the screen. But over the years, the films have moved further and further away from that gimmick. Expend4bles added Megan Fox and 50 Cent, who aren’t even really known as action stars.

If the franchise is going to get back on track, it needs to go back to its original conceit of putting legendary action stars on-screen together. It needs to bring in more popular action stars that fans of the genre actually want to see on-screen together. Imagine an Expendables movie with Keanu Reeves and Liam Neeson fighting side-by-side with Statham and co.

1

A Proper Stallone/Schwarzenegger Team-Up

What people love about The Expendables franchise is the chance to see old-school movie stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger back in action. Stallone and Schwarzenegger are the two biggest action stars on the planet, but there’s never been an Expendables movie that served as a proper Stallone/Schwarzenegger team-up. They’ve shared the screen in previous Expendables films, but it tends to be cameos and isolated sequences.

Escape Plan proved that a Stallone/Schwarzenegger team-up can be a spectacle to behold. They play off each other beautifully and their larger-than-life screen presence is perfect for the action genre. Maybe what The Expendables franchise needs now is a two-hander reluctantly pairing up Barney Ross and Trench Mauser for an action-packed adventure.