When news first broke about plans for a female-led Expendables spin-off, the reaction from fans of the hit action franchise was overwhelmingly positive. After all, the main series had focused on legends like Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Jet Li, so the prospect of some badass women stepping into the spotlight...well, it had undeniable potential.
Unfortunately, the movie has been stuck in development hell for some time, and Millennium Films President Jeffrey Greenstein has now shed some light on why this project has yet to become a reality.
"With The Hitman’s Bodyguard, Salma’s character was just so much fun, it made sense to build the second film around her. We also like working with the same people, so we did Till Death with Megan and she’s in the new Expendables," he tells The Hollywood Reporter (via ActioNewz.com). "It’s really just about working with talented people."
"But I will say something: We’d been trying to develop The Expendabelles, a female version of The Expendables, but my problem with that project was always trying to find a way to justify why we’d have a woman team. Instead of trying to explain that, why not just have women on the regular team and [they’re] badass?"
"Instead of having to explain why a women character got there and all that," Greenstein continued, "you just do what you’d do with a man: show them kicking ass."
It's a valid point, and Hollywood has changed an awful lot since The Expendabelles was first announced. The reaction to Avengers: Endgame's divisive "A-Force" moment shows that many women don't want to be pandered to, hence why the likes of Charlie's Angels and Ocean's Eight have struggled to find even a female audience.
Megan Fox joining the upcoming fourth instalment is a step in the right direction, though it's unclear how many other women will be alongside her in that formidable team of action heroes.
The Expendables 4 is set to arrive in theaters on September 22, 2023.