Despite the third installment not making huge money on the box-office when it was released last year, it is all systems go for “The Expendables 4.”
The even better news is that the upcoming fourth installment of the action ensemble franchise is expected to be the biggest one yet because it was bankrolled by a Chinese interest for a $100 million budget.
The fourth film of the franchise will be made possible through a financing from China. “The Expendables 3” ‘only’ earned $206 million when it was shown in 2014, but more than half of it came from the China market. It was a letdown compared to its predecessor movies, but it still made money, notes Venture Capital Post.
According to executive producer Steven Paul, “The Expendables 3” was patronized in China because just like its first two predecessor movies, they are good old-fashioned shoot ‘em up entertainment films.
The Chinese investment on the upcoming movie is also the reason why filming of “The Expendables 4” will mostly be set in China next year.
The reasons for the box-office disappointment
The producers and stars of “The Expendables 3” know for a fact that the third movie did not do well in the box-office as projected because the entire movie was leaked online before it was even released on theaters.
So people who have seen the digital version of the movie online would no longer bother spending money on buying tickets just to see Sylvester Stallone and company on the big screen, notes the Christian Post.
Another reason why some experts believe that the movie was a bit of a box-office disappointment is because of the producers’ decision to opt for a PG-13 rating to get a wider audience.
It can be recalled that “The Expendables” and “The Expendables 2” have been rated R and it is the reason why many people were attracted to watching it in the big screens. With the decision of the producers of the third film to deviate from the norm, it has led to some audiences losing interest on the movie.
No director yet
While the movie already has a confirmed budget and a release year, it still has no director at this point in time.
Sylvester Stallone has been the actor, the screenwriter and the director of the first film. But he has contented himself to just being the actor and screenwriter for the next two installments of the franchise.
The second film was helmed by Simon West who also directed “Con Air,” while the third movie was directed by Patrick Hughes who also helmed “Red Hill.”
Just like its previous installments, “The Expendables” shall once again follow the adventures of an elite group of mercenaries that includes Stallone, Jason Statham, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas, and several others.
While no specific details on “The Expendables 4” plotline has been made available as of yet, Hulk Hogan confirmed in an interview in August that he has been in casual talks with Stallone where they discussed the possibility of him appearing as the villain in the fourth installment of the action film franchise.
Assuming that the deal is agreed upon, Hogan will be the second wrestler to play the villain in “The Expendables” movie franchise following Stone Cold Steve Austin, who teamed up with Eric Roberts to give Stallone, Jason Statham and company fits in “The Expendables” shown in 2010.
Hulk Hogan will also be lined up with the big name action stars that previously played villains in subsequent “The Expendables” movies including Jean-Claude Van Damme and Mel Gibson.
Hulk Hogan and Sylvester Stallone have a history of working together. They first collaborated during the filming of “Rocky III” back in 1982.
The Hulkster has had his fair share of Hollywood movies and he has been hinting for years that a ‘hulked-up’ “The Expendables” sequel is what the franchise fans deserve, a comment that did not escape the attention of Sylvester Stallone who has also seen the potentials.