Jason Statham’s Biggest Action Franchise Is Officially Getting a New Movie, But There’s a Catch

Gender-swapped remakes can be quite contentious at times, as people ask what the need for them could possibly be. However, the latest one that’s been announced has certainly caught our eye, because The Expendables universe is officially getting a new movie in the form of The Expendabelles, an all-female spin-off.

The project has been discussed in different forms for years, but the latest version is being lined up as its own entity rather than a follow-up to the adventures of Barney Ross and Lee Christmas, although we’re tickled by the idea of Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney as Barnetta Ross and Leah Christmas.

The main Expendables franchise began in 2010 and followed a team of elite mercenaries led by Sylvester Stallone’s Barney Ross. The films managed to bring an immense level of action stars from your dad’s DVD shelf, including Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, and more.

This has been in the works for a long time. More than a decade, as it happens. An all-female Expendables spin-off was first announced back in 2012, with writers Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith attached at one stage and over the years, names like Meryl Streep, Cameron Diaz, Milla Jovovich, and Sigourney Weaver were all mentioned in connection with the project. We would love to see Meryl with a minigun and a bandolier.

How Successful is ‘The Expendables’?

The series started out like a freight train, with the first movie grossing $268 million worldwide against an $82 million budget, while The Expendables 2 did even better with about $312 million worldwide against a $100 million budget. The law of diminishing returns kicked in with the third outing which grossed $209 million worldwide against a $100 million budget. Not a disaster by any means but there’s a clear drop in interest, especially domestically where it only took in about $39 million.

Then Expend4bles pretty much cratered. This was a full blown box office bomb, as it cost around $100 million and grossed only about $51 million worldwide, with just $16.7 million domestic. Its worldwide box office landed at only 0.5 times its production budget, which is brutal. However, with a more moderate budget, it’s clear the interest is there, so this will be one to watch.

The Expendabelles is in production now.