The new film starring Jason Statham and Sylvester Stallone sounds better than The Expendables 4 already

Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham have a new action movie in development, which already sounds like an improvement on The Expendables 4. Part of the excitement surrounding the original Expendables was that icons like Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li, Bruce Wills and many more were teaming together. In reality, the bulk of the films were shouldered by Stallone – who also created the series – and Jason Statham. Leading up to the first film, Statham had become the heir apparent to the action stars of the past, thanks to movies like The Transporter or Crank.

The good-natured bromance between Statham and Stallone’s characters grounded all The Expendables movies, and the two have formed a close friendship offscreen too. In 2013, Stallone co-produced and wrote Homefront for Statham, an action thriller about a retired DEA agent facing off against a vicious drug dealer. Stallone originally penned the project as a potential Rambo sequel, but the fact he handed the screenplay over to his co-star was a sign he considered Statham a successor to his throne.

Jason Statham & Sylvester Stallone Are Reuniting For Levon’s Trade

The duo reunited once again for 2023’s The Expendables 4, but sadly, due to the nature of the story, they didn’t share much screentime. That said, the scenes between Statham and Stallone still proved to be the highlight of what is easily the worst entry in the saga to date. The fourth film has received poor reviews and grossed about half its production budget back. While this likely means the franchise is done – for the time being, anyway – they’re set to reunite once more for the David Ayer-directed Levon’s Trade (via Deadline).

This will adapt the novel of the same name by comic writer Chuck Dixon, with Statham playing the titular character. In the book, Levon Cade dusts off his black ops past when a friend’s daughter goes missing and his old skills are put to the test when he unearths a conspiracy. It should be noted that, like Homefront before it, Stallone is writing the script for Levon’s Trade, and is (currently) not set to play a role. The movie will also re-team Statham and Ayer, following their upcoming action flick The Beekeeper.

Why Stallone & Statham’s New Movie Already Sounds Better Than The Expendables 4

Levon’s Trade sounds like the kind of meat and potato action movie Stallone and Statham have made their careers on, and Ayer behind the camera should ensure it’s anything but generic. Hopefully Levon’s Trade will wash away the disappointment of Expendables 4, which didn’t even have any outstanding setpieces to make up for how uninspired the story was. The Expendables 4’s ending may have teased a possible fifth outing, but it seems to have closed a once-promising series on a bad note. While their old franchise might be done, with Levon’s Trade Stallone and Statham are making it clear their creative union isn’t finished just yet.