The Expendables Is Replacing Sylvester Stallone

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Sylvester Stallone is enjoying a career resurgence after a period of fewer opportunities. While The Expendables series kept him in the public eye during those slower years, the franchise is now continuing without his involvement.

With the ongoing expansion of The Expendables series, the original team will be stepping down. This marks a significant shift for the franchise, moving away from its longtime lead, Sylvester Stallone, and potentially aiming for a wider audience.

The Expendables Gave Stallone a Reliable Franchise Role in the 2010s

During the 2000s, Sylvester Stallone’s film career hit a rough patch. Several of his action and thriller movies, including D-Tox and Avenging Angelo, weren’t well-received, and his appearance in Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over didn’t revitalize his career. Fortunately, revisiting his iconic roles in Rocky Balboa (2006) and Rambo (2008) provided a much-needed boost. This success likely explained why Stallone focused on established franchises in the following decade.

Throughout the 2010s, Stallone successfully revisited his iconic roles. He returned as Rocky in the critically acclaimed 2015 film Creed, and then again in Creed II. Rambo also made a comeback in the 2019 action film Rambo: Last Blood. Beyond that, he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and reunited with longtime rival Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 2013 film Escape Plan, which led to two streaming sequels featuring Dave Bautista. However, Stallone’s biggest success of the decade came from The Expendables series, where he shared the screen with other major action stars. The three films, released between 2010 and 2014, earned over $800 million worldwide.

Sylvester Stallone created The Expendables as a way to bring together nearly all the biggest action stars from the past four decades. While the films weren’t critically acclaimed, they gave audiences exactly what they wanted: a chance to see iconic actors like Stallone, Schwarzenegger, and Bruce Willis team up, crack jokes, and deliver explosive action. The movies also featured stars like Jet Li and Randy Couture causing mayhem, and even brought back cult favorites such as Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, and Jean-Claude Van Damme for more on-screen action.

Expend4bles Was Such a Disaster That It Caused a Complete Overhaul of the Franchise

While The Expendables initially brought Stallone success in the 2010s, that good fortune didn’t last when he attempted a revival in the 2020s. Expend4bles, released in 2023—nine years after The Expendables 3—tried to boost the series with action stars like Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, and Megan Fox, but it wasn’t enough. The film received even harsher criticism than its predecessors, with viewers particularly disappointed by the poor special effects and uninspired action scenes—elements the series had previously been known for. The movie earned only $51 million at the box office, less than half of its $100 million budget, signaling the likely end of Stallone’s action-packed franchise.

Nearly three years later, the Expendables franchise received a surprising boost at the Cannes Film Festival. Eclectic Pictures and Hollywood Ventures Group announced they were developing a new installment, having bought the rights from Lionsgate. This new film will focus on a team of highly skilled female operatives and will be set in the late 1990s, during the widespread concern over the Y2K computer bug. The movie aims to both build upon the existing Expendables story and stand as its own unique adventure.

The disappointing box office results of Expend4bles and The Expendables 3 likely led to Sylvester Stallone’s departure from the series. However, Hollywood still sees potential in the franchise, and a reboot with a female-led cast could revitalize it. Heidi Jo Markel of Eclectic believes there’s a strong international demand for action films starring women, and that now is the perfect time to introduce a new team of female operatives to this world.

Which Female Action Stars Could Make Up The Expendables New Roster?

Sigourney Weaver and Linda Hamilton immediately come to mind when people discuss strong female leads in action movies, thanks to their unforgettable roles as Ellen Ripley in the Alien films and Sarah Connor in the Terminator series. More recently, films like Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, and The Woman King have also been huge successes. Charlize Theron has also become a leading action star in recent years, delivering memorable performances in movies like Mad Max: Fury Road, Atomic Blonde, and The Old Guard.

Stallone has always liked the idea of Sigourney Weaver starring in a female-led Expendables movie, and it still feels like a great concept. Imagine Weaver and Linda Hamilton alongside Charlize Theron, Ana de Armas, Angelina Jolie, Kate Beckinsale, Lashana Lynch, and Michelle Yeoh – that could be the start of a really successful action series.

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2026-05-24 01:09