Mixed martial artist and action star Randy Couture has praised the new additions to the mercenary team The Expendables in the upcoming sequel, The Expendables 4. In an interview with uInterview, Couture, who will reprise the role of Toll Road the team's demolitions expert, revealed that there are now only four members of the original Expendables left. Thus, new blood was needed when bringing the gang back for more.
“Obviously there's only four old Expendables characters left, and that's me and Dolph [Lundgren] and [Jason] Statham and [Sylvester] Stallone. So we added a whole new influx of new people. 50 Cent who I've worked with before and have a lot of respect for. Megan Fox which, was nice to meet somebody new. Andy Garcia who I've been a big fan of forever and has done some amazing work in the film industry. So it was really fun to get to see him work and be around him.”
The Expendables 4, which will apparently be known as Expend4bles, will once again feature Sylvester Stallone as Barney Ross, Jason Statham as Lee Christmas, and Dolph Lundgren as Gunner Jensen alongside Randy Couture as Toll Road. But, with the rest of the crew departing the team, and with even Stallone reportedly set to walk away and leave Statham in charge, Expend4bles will add several new faces to the ensemble action thriller franchise.
Transformers star Megan Fox and rapper and actor Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson will add their names to The Expendables roster, while Academy Award nominated actor Andy Garcia will join the action as a CIA agent rather than a member of the titular team. These new faces are expected to play a major role in The Expendables 4, and clearly Randy Couture has had a great time working alongside them.
These are from the only new names due to join the franchise, however. Alongside Fox, Jackson, and Garcia, Expend4bles will also bring the likes of Eddie Hall, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Sheila Shah, Jacob Scipio and Levy Tran along for the ride.
The Raid Star Iko Uwais Will Play the Villain in The Expendables 4
Directed by Scott Waugh, the plot of The Expendables 4 will reportedly see the gang drawn into a nuclear conflict between Russia and the United States. Which sounds perhaps a little too contemporary for its own good...
While more specific details are currently under wraps, we do know that The Raid star Iko Uwais will play the main villain in the sequel. Uwais is set to star as a former military officer with his own army and a side-line in arms dealing, something which the titular team will be hoping to put an end to in the only way they know how...by blowing everything up.
It has also been revealed that Sylvester Stallone will only have a small role in The Expendables 4, with the actor stepping away from the franchise to make way for Jason Statham’s character Lee Christmas to take the lead. "This will be my last day," Stallone said in an Instagram post from the set of the action follow-up. "I'm enjoying it, but it's always bittersweet when something you've been so attached to - I guess since, well now it's been about 12 years - and ready to pass the baton on to Jason in his capable hands."
Expend4bles is scheduled to be released in 2022 by Lionsgate.