For the most part of his career, Sylvester Stallone’s name has been attached to several franchises but it seems the actor is finally shifting away from his roots. With the actor not reprising his role in the new Creed film, the upcoming installment in The Expendables IP will be the last time fans witness Stallone in the role of Barney Ross and leading his group of mercenaries.

And considering it’s the last time we will witness his character of Barney Ross in the mix, he seems to have taken a backseat for the most part of the upcoming film and let his costar take the wheel.

The Expendables 4 will witness Jason Statham taking the lead from Sylvester Stallone

Considering the last 3 movies revolved around the characters of Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham, the upcoming film might witness the torch being passed from Stallone to Statham. Reflecting on the production of his final Expendables movie, the actor claimed that Statham is going to be the main face of the upcoming entry and the franchise moving forward.

With Stallone taking a backseat for the 4th film, he claimed “Jason Statham is 80 percent of it.” Although telling goodbyes to his dearest franchise wasn’t easy, he believes that the franchise is in capable hands. He stated,

“I”m enjoying it, but it’s always bittersweet when something you’ve been so attached to – I guess since, well now it’s been about 12 years – and ready to pass the baton on to Jason in his capable hands.”
Even though it’s hard for fans to see the Rocky Balboa star moving forward from The Expendables that he helped build, Jason Statham is the perfect man to take the lead after Stallone. Like Stallone, the Fast X star has also made a huge name for himself in the action realm and after the Tulsa King actor, he is the perfect fit to lead the team of mercenaries forward.

The Expendables

Jason Statham has always admired Sylvester Stallone

Just like their bond in The Expendables IP, Jason Statham comprises huge respect for his co-star, and ever since his childhood, he has always looked up to Sylvester Stallone.

Considering that the Rambo star was one of the biggest names in the industry back then, it’s reasonable to see that his movies left a huge impact on his fans, including a young Statham. Statham stated,

“These people I’ve admired for decades. Specially Stallone. Ever since I saw the first Rocky years ago.”

Jason Statham

With 3 months away from its release, fans are engrossed to witness how Statham and Stallone, accompanied by some new faces, including Megan Fox, will manage to breathe new life into this IP.

Some actors like being compared to the veterans but some absolutely hate it. The latter was true for Megan Fox and Angelina Jolie for which the former actress turned down a mammoth offer for portraying the role of Lara Croft.

The role of Lara Croft was iconically portrayed by veteran actress Angelina Jolie and a reprisal was offered to the Transformers actress Megan Fox. Fox, however, turned down the $17 million paycheck just because she did not want to be compared to Angelina Jolie.

Megan Fox in the Transformers franchise

Megan Fox Did Not Want To Be Compared To Angelina Jolie

Hollywood is a place for a competition where every actor tries to outplay others to become one of the finest in the world. The actors try their hardest to portray varied and distinctly memorable characters so that people may remember them.

Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft in Tomb Raider (2001).

Talking about an iconic role back in the early 2000s, Angelina Jolie portrayed the character of Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider franchise. The duology, based on the notable video game franchise received critical acclaim for being one of the good adaptations. Jolie became famous for portraying the role of Lara Croft and the character’s iconic ness had to be given to the next generation of people.

The best way was to reboot the franchise and reprise the role of Lara Croft with another iconic actress i.e., Megan Fox. According to insiders, the role had been offered to Megan Fox but the actress turned it down due to comparisons with actress/rival Angelina Jolie.

“The offer has been on the table for Megan for a while but she’s reluctantly turned it down. She’s the logical choice to play Lara and she loves the character but the comparison with Angelina [Jolie] is too much.”

Fox later stated in an interview about the comparisons and described her differences from Angelina Jolie but people still found ways to compare the Till Death actress to Jolie.

“I am a brunette with tattoos, I curse and I have made mention of s*x before. I joked about it which people find outrageous so they want to constantly compare that to her.”

The role later went on to Alicia Vikander who portrayed the character of Lara Croft in the 2018 reboot Tomb Raider. This does not mean that Fox has lost her Hollywood career. Although the actress hasn’t been seen frequently on the theater screens for quite a while, however, she is attached to some upcoming projects.

Megan Fox Is All Set To Star In The Expendables 4

Megan Fox.

Being one of the actresses to mark her debut in the early 2000s, Megan Fox still has a career ahead of her that will keep her in the spotlight for a while. The actress has been attached to the upcoming movie The Expendables 4 alongside Jason Statham and Sylvester Stallone.

The movie is currently in the post-production stage of development and Fox will be soon seen on theater screens. With Megan Fox returning, The Expendables 4 is currently set for a release date of 22nd September 2023 in theaters across the U.S.