Apparently it's true. The Expendables 4 starts shooting in October according to franchise star Sylvester Stallone. Previously, there had been rumors of the sequel shooting this fall based on comments made by Randy Couture in an interview earlier this year. More recently, Stallone teased the production by posting a ring made for his character to be seen in the movie. In a new Instagram post, Stallone comments on a fan's Expendables tattoo while revealing when shooting on part four will begin.

The caption reads: "This tattoo had to hurt! Off to shoot the spinoff of Expendables ( Temp. working title is , Christmas Story ) in OCT."

There are certainly some interesting takeaways from Stallone's brief statement. The working title, Christmas Story, could be a reference to Jason Statham's character, Lee Christmas, who appeared in all three prior movies. Stallone's comment that the movie will be a "spinoff" might also suggest that the story will primarily follow Statham's character in the central role. Either way, we can expect at least some of the major players from the franchise to return, given Stallone's involvement and that Couture has said that he's in.

In any case, very little is known about the movie at this time. In an Instagram post from late July, Stallone referred to the project at The Expendables 4 when posting an image of the ring he had made for the sequel. He has yet to reveal any other official information about the mysterious project, such as which cast members are confirmed to appear or any details about the plot. Perhaps we'll find out more heading close to the production start date in October.

Sylvester Stallone has also been spending some time with series co-star Arnold Schwarzenegger. Earlier in July, Sly had posted a photo to Instagram of himself with Arnold, noting that it was the first time he'd seen him in over a year. It's possible the two may have been discussing Schwarzenegger's potential return in The Expendables 4. Stallone will also join Schwarzenegger at the first ever Arnold Sports Festival UK on Sunday, Oct. 3.

Released in 2010, The Expendables was directed by Stallone, who also co-wrote the screenplay with David Callaham. The project serves as an ensemble movie featuring some of Hollywood's most popular action movie heroes of the past few decades, including Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Randy Couture, and Terry Crews. Two sequels would follow in 2012 and 2014, bringing in other fan favorites like Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Harrison Ford, Wesley Snipes, and Antonio Banderas.

Previously, there had also been talk of developing a television series spinoff of The Expendables, and the idea is for the show to feature a new team of heroes composed of "iconic television stars." The project has since stalled with no new major updates in years. There have also been reports in years past of a female-led spinoff dubbed The ExpendaBelles, but that project also has yet to come to fruition.

There isn't a release date attached to The Expendables 4. As Stallone has noted, the plan is for the project to start shooting in October. This news comes to us from Sylvester Stallone on Instagram.