Jason Statham wasn’t happy with Sylvester Stallone’s small role in The Expendables 4. The Expendables franchise was launched in 2010 with Stallone as director, screenwriter and star. Each instalment follows a team of mercenaries who agree to take part in worldwide missions with global consequences. Stallone has featured prominently in each entry, but the latest sequel has seen him step back to allow Statham a more active role.
In an interview with Cinema Express, Statham openly admits that he misses the days when Stallone was more involved in the franchise. Although he does not explain the reason for Stallone’s absence, he emphasises that the actor is a central part of the cast of The Expendables 4. For Statham, the best days on set were when Stallone was there.
While Stallone’s Barney Ross plays a significant role in the ending of The Expendables 4, he is not the leading man as he was in the previous films. After faking his own death, the responsibility of leading the film is left to Statham’s Lee Christmas. Barney’s influence echoes throughout the film, but his lack of physical presence does not have quite the same effect as in previous entries.
An Expendables film without Stallone playing a major role is jarring. He was the director, writer and star of the first iteration and has been the driving force behind the franchise ever since. Stallone is synonymous with the franchise, but the diminished role was inevitable.
The legendary action star left the production after creative differences. He later returned, but it could explain his limited screen time if he spent much of the development cycle away from production.
Unfortunately, The Expendables 4’s shockingly low Rotten Tomatoes score – a mere 16 percent at the time of writing – could be the franchise’s death knell if it affects box office results. Reviews have been brutal, citing poor CGI, clunky editing, lack of originality and underwhelming storytelling. Based on the negative reviews and projected box office, The Expendables 4 may be the last Expendables film, and Statham would have preferred more Stallone involvement.
