The last three “The Expendable” films were studded with big-name Hollywood action stars, which is what makes it really unique from the typical action movies.
The audience got to follow a lot of action stars in the films other than Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, or Arnold Schwarzenegger.
In fact, it is the only franchise in recent history that has come up with an ensemble cast of some of the biggest names in Hollywood action movies.
The fourth sequel to the series was previously reported to come out next year to be consistent with the pattern of having a sequel every two years. The first movie came out in 2010 and was followed by “The Expendables 2” two years later. “The Expendables 3” was released to global cinemas last year.
Fans were expecting a 2016 release date for “The Expendables 4,” but recent reports indicate that production for the movie would only start next year and that the third sequel of the franchise will eventually hit theaters in 2017.
Casting rumors
The previous speculations about the movie focused more on who the possible new cast members of “The Expendables 4” would be. A lot of names have been thrown into the casting mix including wrestler Hulk Hogan, Jackie Chan, former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan, Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao, and of late Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
The rumors were actually triggered by the fact that Sylvester Stallone has been seen talking to them in the past couple of months and the discussions may have touched on “The Expendables 4.”
What is clear at this point is that Manny Pacquiao, Jackie Chan, and Pierce Brosnan seem to be out of the picture while Hulk Hogan seems to be pretty much confirmed. The news about The Rock is relatively fresh although if his recent statements are to be believed, he would also be joining “The Expendables 4” as a big bad along with fellow wrestler Hogan.
If and when that happens, Hulk Hogan and The Rock would be the second and third former wrestlers from the WWE to come to “The Expendables” movie franchise as villains, following the footstep of Steve ‘Stone Cold’ Austin during the first “The Expendables” film.
Merging of Hollywood and Bollywood
Of late, there are also reports saying that Bollywood actor Salman Khan is also being considered as a possible cast member of “The Expendables 4.”
Stallone and Khan have reportedly been exchanging messages on Twitter praising each other’s work which have triggered speculations that the “Creed” actor is considering Khan to join him in “The Expendables 4,” notes the Christian Post.
Apparently, Stallone is also aware of the huge fanbase of Khan in Asia, particularly in his home country in India, which would mean additional box-office potential for the upcoming action movie.
It seems that Hollywood has come to appreciate and understand the importance of their Bollywood counterparts in ensuring the success of their movies in the global box-office scale so the direction now is more on collaboration.
In fact, in the biggest blockbuster movie of 2015 to date, “Jurassic World,” Indian actor Irrfan Khan was also featured. Critics believe that Khan’s entry into “Jurassic World” is part of the brewing bromance between Hollywood and Bollywood, notes Movie News Guide.
Jackie Chan will be joining the fray too as his next movie “Kung Fu Yoga” shall also feature two Bollywood actors Amir Khan and Sonu Sood.
Of course, there are also a few Bollywood actresses who have already joined the bandwagon as of late and it seems that there will be more of such collaboration in the years to come.
Apparently, the possible entry of Salman Khan on “The Expendables 4” would further highlight that the collaboration between Hollywood and Bollywood actors is obviously in full swing.