Expendables 5: the franchise has been redeemed and should be reborn from its ashes

The Lionsgate studio also acquired the rights to Rambo.

What if Sylvester Stallone’s gang of big guns were back in action soon?

After the bitter failure of Expendables 4 (2021), the muscular saga seemed buried for good. But a major agreement signed between Lionsgate and Millennium Media has just restarted everything: The Expendables could indeed return, and in a new form.

According to the official statement, Lionsgate has acquired the development and production rights to all derivative works of the franchise: films, series, video games, immersive experiences… in short, everything that can bring the brand back to life. The studio also regains global distribution rights for the future John Rambosixth installment of the cult saga, which will see Noah Centineo reprise the cult role of Sly, in a prequel recounting the soldier’s young years in Vietnam. Lionsgate becomes lead co-producer on all future projects Rambo for the big and small screen.

“This agreement expands our portfolio of iconic action franchises and reaffirms our commitment to bringing them to life across all mediums,” said Brian Goldsmith, COO of Lionsgate. “We can’t wait to reinvent The Expendables And Ramboand with John Rambowe are bringing together a bold creative team to bring a new vision of this legendary character to a new generation.”

For his part, Jonathan Yunger, president of Millennium Media, welcomes “the ideal partner to write the next chapters of these legendary sagas”promising to give them back the scale and power they deserve.

Beyond Rambothis rebirth comes at the right time for Expendableswhose fourth opus was a critical and commercial disaster: released in September 2021, the film only grossed around fifty million dollars worldwide, not enough to repay its budget estimated at 100 million. Despite the return of Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren and others, the public did not follow, the franchise seeming worn out.

But with Lionsgate now in charge — a studio no stranger to profitable action franchises (John Wick, Hunger Games…) — these old Expendables could well find a second youth. It remains to be seen in what form: a series for streaming? Or a Expendables 5 in the cinema carried by a new casting?