While Expend4bles is currently struggling to attract audiences in cinemas, its director is already thinking of the next installment. Director Scott Waugh is hoping to add one of the biggest international action stars to the movie franchise in the sequel.
The Expend4bles director recently expressed interest in returning for a fifth film in the series. If he does end up returning to direct the next film, Waugh wants to include Jackie Chan as one of the cast members. The filmmaker previously worked with Chan in the Netflix action adventure Hidden Strike.
During an appearance on the JoBlo Celebrity Interviews podcast, Waugh was asked about the possibility of including Jackie Chan in the Expendables franchise. The director expressed enthusiasm in having Chan onboard and said that “anything’s possible.” However, everything would depend on the actor’s availability.
“Look I think anything’s possible, and I know Jackie’s a huge Sly fan, Sly has such reverence for Jackie as well,” Waugh said. “I think if the stars align in their schedules, which is always so freaking complicated, I would really hope that we could make that happen, that’d be fantastic.”
Fans have long been asking for Chan to be included in the film franchise that features an ensemble cast of action legends. The star studded cast already includes Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, and Harrison Ford. It makes sense for Chan to be included in this lineup of high-profile stars.
Sylvester Stallone has reportedly tried to recruit Chan for The Expendables 2 and 3. Unfortunately, the actor turned down the invitation on both occasions. For Expendables 2, the actor cited a scheduling conflict. In Expendables 3, Chan reportedly declined due to the limited screen time – the actor prefers to star in films where he would have a longer screen time.
With Expend4bles struggling in theaters, the franchise may need to attract new talent to add to its roster. The fourth film has seemingly passed the torch from Stallone to Statham being the leader of the group. The notable shift in lead characters opens up the possibility of more cast members being added and Chan has the star power to attract audiences.
The Expendables series has also performed well in the Chinese movie market and an actor like Chan would greatly benefit the franchise in terms of box office revenues. Chan is one of the biggest actors stars in China and it makes sense to have him in a future installment.
Will we see Jackie Chan in a future installment? It all greatly depends on whether Lionsgate sees a need for a fifth film. At this point, the odds aren’t in The Expendables’ favor.
