Add the Expendables to the list of franchises looking to make a comeback these days. Instead of a fifth installment, the franchise is branching out with its first spinoff—not just that, but it’ll be headlined by women.
If you think back early into Expendables’ lifetime, you may remember this was announced in 2012. At the time, it was to be separate from the Sylvester Stallone-led main movies and trades were reported that it’d be headlined by female action stars like Milla Jovovich or Gina Carano. That never manifested, but according to the Hollywood Reporter, it’s time to try again—at Cannes on Friday, Eclectic Pictures and Hollywood Ventures Group announced they were teaming on the spinoff, currently titled Expendabelles.
Our plot? It’s the late ’90s, and the titular operatives are caught up in a mission “during the height of Y2K-era tension and geopolitical uncertainty.” The producers are scouting for distribution, financing, and creative talent at the festival, so there’s currently no big names attached. Whoever signs on, they’ll be in a “stylized, action-driven cinematic event designed to expand the mythology of the franchise while standing firmly on its own,” said the filmmakers.
The past decade has seen several franchises try to put women more front and center, either with mainline films or isolated spinoffs. The Expendables movies gradually introduced more women into their cast over time, and since audiences didn’t turn up for Expend4bles a few years back, it makes sense to see if a movie full of women punching and shooting each other draws more attention. Assuming it doesn’t take 12 years to happen, we’ll see if Expendabelles delivers on that front in the near future.
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