Subham Mandal
Jackie Chan is a major name that comes to our mind when we think about action movies. He is one of the biggest performers of the genre along with Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Bruce Willis. But, surprisingly, Jackie Chan refused to star in one of the most prominent action franchises The Expendables, which is most popular for bringing together legends of the genre under the same roof.
Not very different than what we have seen in other multistarrer action franchises, The Expendables stands out by bringing together all the action heroes of the 80s and 90s under the same roof. But not every star is fond of sharing their space with so many other big names, and something similar was also stated by Jackie Chan when he was asked to star in the latest movie.
Why did Jackie Chan reject The Expendables 4?
The Expendables 4 is currently not so far from its release and fans of the franchise have already figured out how this part is much different compared to the previous three installments. It can’t be denied that given the long time gap and the absence of so many legends is sure to hurt the franchise.
Even though it is a nostalgic and out-of-the-world experience to watch all your favorites coming together in a film, the same can’t be said for the actors. According to Jackie Chan‘s interview with Den Of Geek, he didn’t want to have such a small role where he wouldn’t get more than 5 minutes to play his part alongside the other major names.
“Then this morning I did hear – the office called – Sly [Stallone] wants me for Expendables 4. I said, ‘Okay.’ Because they already asked me to be in two and three, but I refused. Well, I didn’t refuse, but I said, ‘Sly, can’t we just do you and me? Not just a bunch of people and me only coming out for five minutes.’ Because then the audience is, ‘Oh!’ And then I’m gone.”
The martial artist revealed in the interview how he has been offered the franchise repeatedly. But he said no every time and expressed his interest in having a one-on-one face-off with Sylvester Stallone.
“So if I’m in Expendables 4, I want it to be me and him – then it might be interesting. Otherwise, you just come out for five minutes.”
This problem was later faced by many other actors as well which led to many pivotal faces missing in the upcoming Expend4bles. Many fans also believe it to be a bad sign for the franchise as it lost one of the key factors.
What can we expect from The Expendables 4?
The Expendables 4 is devoid of many important actors who didn’t return because of certain factors. Although they have tried to bring new faces into the franchise like The Raid actor Iko Uwais, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, 50 Cent, and Andy Garcia. But the absence of actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li, and Terry Crews is sure to affect the franchise.
It is reported that Sylvester Stallone’s Barney Ross’ part will also be reduced and Jason Statham will be made the lead. There are also some positive changes in the movie as the upcoming flick is to be R-rated like the first two instalments. Box Office Pro suggests that the movie should open with something around $13 million to $18 million and end with a domestic total of $31-$45 million.
Even though the domestic box office predictions don’t give much hope, the movie is doing exceptionally well in China. According to Variety, the movie debuted with a glorious $10.9 million. Reportedly, the movie is made on a budget of $100 million and has to cross $200 million to get the “hit” tag. The reviews received by The Expendables 3 also present some concerns over the upcoming movie.
Expend4bles will be released on September 22, 2023.
Source: Den Of Geek / Box Office Pro / Variety
