Why has The Expendables franchise crashed and burned so hard, and is a fifth movie still possible? The Expendables is one of the biggest Sylvester Stallone action franchises, with the first entry arriving back in 2010. The series sold itself on its pairing of action greats, with the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Jet Li, and many more teaming up onscreen for the first time. The Expendables movies arrived during a strange time for the genre, where PG-13 comic book movies were the norm, while the action films Stallone made his name on were out of vogue. 1u49l

The Expendables 5 needs to break Sylvester Stallone's worst career rule and finally kill off Barney Ross. The Expendables movies were created by Stallone himself, with the intent of uniting all the great action stars under one franchise. Even with luminaries like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Harrison Ford, Jet Li and many more, the saga has never fully lived up to its enticing potential. The box-office disaster of Expend4bles may have killed the series for good too. That could be a blessing in disguise since the fourth movie was easily the worst to date.

One of Jason Statham's biggest franchises is in trouble, but the filmmaker who gave him his big break could be the one to rescue it. Before Jason Statham's first action role in Ghosts of Mars, he was known for more comedic performances in British gangster films. The Transporter changed the course of his career, and he soon became the next big action star. Jason Statham action movies are almost always a good time - even the bad ones - and while he occasionally steps outside the genre, he knows what audiences want to see him doing.

The Expendables 5 has the opposite problem of another big-budget ensemble action movie franchise. Put simply, TheExpendables 4 — stylized as Expend4bles — was so poorly received that audiences might not want a fifth entry in the series at all. The fourth entry in the Sylvester Stallone-led action series used its $100 million budget to reinvent itself, but refused to commit to any actual change. Initially, the film kills off Stallone's Barney Ross, making way for Jason Statham's Lee Christmas to lead the elite mercenaries. Unfortunately, Expend4bles made an embarrassing $51.1 million at the box office.

Known for portraying gritty action heroes, actor Jason Statham is one of Hollywood's most bankable stars. After leading heist thrillers like Crank and The Italian Job, Statham landed roles in two of the biggest ensemble action movie series ever: The Expendablesand the Fast & Furious. In the latter, he plays Deckard Shaw, a former UKSF soldier and MI6 agent who initially has it out for Vin Diesel's Dominic "Dom" Toretto. While Statham has even co-starred in the Fast & Furious spin-off, Hobbs & Shaw, he continues to lead non-franchise action flicks too.

Veteran actor and series regular Dolph Lundgren is open to an Expendables 5 return under one very specific condition, and it highlights the problem in replacing Sylvester Stallone. The veteran action star has appeared in all four movies in the Expendables franchise as Gunner Jensen with varying levels of screentime, but his possible return in a fifth installment in a much greater capacity could revitalize the long-running franchise while also renewing widespread interest in it. While Expendables 4 didn't impress at the box office or with critics, Lundgren's return in Expendables 5 could rectify its predecessor's mistakes.

While the latest chapter has left the franchise's future in doubt, Dolph Lundgren is open to an Expendables 5return on one condition. The action genre vet has starred in all four installments in the franchise as Gunner Jensen, one of the senior of the group of mercenaries and their heavy weapons expert. The Expendables served as the first major reunion between Lundgren and Sylvester Stallone after the former's breakthrough role of Ivan Drago in Rocky IV, which he would later reprise for 2018's Creed II.

Expendables 4director Scott Waugh revealed that Stallone won't return for Expendables 5, which leaves open a spot on the roster for another iconic action hero. The 2023 movie sees the return of Lee Christmas (Jason Statham) and Barney Ross (Stallone), who reunite the titular mercenary team to bring down another villain. However, while the series' big appeal is the impressive cast of '80s and '90s action stars, Expendables 4 leaves a lot to be desired. Only Statham, Stallone, and Dolph Lundgren return, with 50 Cent and Megan Fox ing the team. Unfortunately, the rapper and Transformers actor barely makes up for Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis' absences.

If there's one thing that The Expendables 5may need, it's an injection of new, exciting action stars to revitalize the franchise. Stallone and friends may have been on to something with previous entries in the franchise, but the third movie didn't fare well and even returning to an R-rating for the fourth movie didn't help. The Expendables 4's abysmal performance at the box office is a clear indicator that the series could use new blood to take it off of life .