With his new edit of Rocky IV completed, Sylvester Stallone is apparently back to work on The Expendables 4. In 2010, the action movie franchise launched with its first installment with Stallone directing, co-writing, and starring in a lead role alongside several other fan favorites of the genre. Two more sequels would follow in 2012 and 2014, but Stallone has been rather silent lately on the status of a potential fourth movie.

On Thursday, Sylvester Stallone took to Instagram to reveal that he's working on the props for The Expendables 4. This seems to suggest that pre-production is officially starting on the project or that it can't be too far off. Posting a closeup photo of golden ring adorned with a skull, Stallone writes in the caption, "Just finished the designing for the new ring for The Expendables 4. It's a little heavy, but it'll definitely put some muscles on your fingertips."

It's interesting that Stallone would start teasing The Expendables 4 at this time. Randy Couture, who has starred in every installment of the series since the original, previously said that the project was on track to start shooting in the fall. Stallone didn't publicly address the rumors but if he's starting to tease The Expendables 4 again, it would appear that there could be some truth to them after all.

"It sounds like we're gonna get to do [The Expendables 4]," Couture said on The Jenna Ben Show. "They've been kicking it around for a couple of years now but I've just recently heard from my agent that they're working on the script for [EX4] and they're planning to schedule filming of Expendables 4 for this next fall. So I haven't seen the script yet."

Some more fuel to throw on the fire is the fact that Stallone recently met up with Arnold Schwarzenegger, another star of the franchise. Earlier this month, Stallone posted a photo on Instagram with Schwarzenegger, though he didn't say why exactly they'd gotten together. It could have been just to catch up after the pandemic had separated them for over a year, but it's just as possible they were discussing The Expendables 4.

Much of the appeal of The Expendables and its sequels has been the impressive ensemble cast. Not only do the movies bring together Stallone and Schwarzenegger, they also star Randy Couture, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, and Terry Crews. Other big action stars have appeared throughout the series like Bruce Willis, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Chuck Norris, Wesley Snipes, Steve Austin, Ronda Rousey, and Liam Hemsworth, among others.

It was reported last year that Patrick Hughes was set to return as director for The Expendables 4, though it was unclear when the project would go into production. No release date has been officially announced at this time. In the meantime, fans can check out some new footage of Stallone as Rocky Balboa when Rocky Vs. Drago - The Ultimate Director's Cut is released on Nov. 11, 2021. Stallone wrapped his work on the project just recently, opening the door for his return to The Expendables. This news comes to us from Sylvester Stallone on Instagram.