In a sea of action stars for the cast of Lionsgate's Fast & Furious’ own Jason Statham; whenever one sees their names, they usually know what they’ll get for the price of their ticket. However, from time to time, non-action stars will show up, like Kevin Hart or Leslie Nielsen crashing a serious t for comedic purposes. In The Expendables 4's case, this might be the jolt of energy the series needs.
The Expendables series is in an interesting position in of its overall status and star power. With each successive installment, the cast list of those who ally with, make up, or are sworn enemies of the titular mercenary group has grown, threatening to collapse the series under its own excess. Such was the case with 2014's poorly received The Expendables 3, whose absurdly long top-billed cast of 17 stars more akin to a Marvel Cinematic Universe flick, a lack of high-stakes threats, and a watered-down PG-13 rating compared to the first two's gleefully violent R left critics and audiences baffled. For The Expendables 4, some lessons have been learned from the previous film's failures - a smaller cast and a return to the R-rating among them. Even then, there is still room for an outsider surprise to Barney Ross and the gang.
For Transformers films (in the role of Mikaela Banes), being reduced to eye candy for more masculine-skewing audiences.
There were exceptions, of course, such as the poorly marketed horror-comedy someone of Fox’s stature could be a breath of fresh air to offset its muscular style, bringing levity to the proceedings. Given the right script and character to work off of, she might even be the standout actor of the whole film.
In addition, The Expendables series' R-rating may allow Fox to run wild with the material on screen in a way that hasn’t been seen since Jennifer’s Body. With an all-female spinoff for the franchise The ExpendaBelles all but ready to go, a successful performance from Fox might allow her to remain with the franchise and increase her viability in action tentpoles long-term.
As The Expendables series moves on without Stallone following the conclusion of the fourth film and towards future spin-offs and sequels, the addition of a cast member like Megan Fox may allow the series to readily its older counterpart in Fast & Furious in breaking the mold and introducing exciting opportunities for cast outside the action genre, leaving Fox not just the most exciting cast member for The Expendables 4, but quite possibly for the future of the franchise itself.
