Sylvester Stallone continued his long-time collaboration with Dolph Lundgren in the The Expendables franchise and he is now one of the senior members of the elite action mongers. Stallone knows the prowess of Lundgren as he was immediately impressed by his appearance while casting the actor as Ivan Drago in Rocky IV.
It was a breakthrough for the Swedish actor and the beginning of a long-time partnership with Stallone which led him to appear in The Expendables and Creed II despite putting Stallone in the ICU with a single punch. Now the question remains, after appearing in the action franchise, will the Swedish actor appear in the potential fifth installment of The Expendables?
Dolph Lundgren Will Join The Expendables 5 Cast If…
While promoting his new action thriller Wanted Man, produced, co-written, acted, and directed by Dolph Lundgren himself, the actor spoke to Screen Rant about his stance on the future of The Expendables. The fourth installment of the franchise was not hailed by critics and fans with the same warmth as the debut installment. Also, Sylvester Stallone’s tenure as the leader in the film series is expected to end by passing the torch to the next in line, Jason Statham’s Lee Christmas. Lundgren is open to joining the cast of the fifth installment of the franchise but under one condition.
“Yeah, if Sly’s in charge, I think he’s working on his version of another chapter with these guys. If he’s in charge, then yeah, I’m sure it would be fun to work on it,” Lundgren told Screen Rant.
Stallone also directed the original movie in the franchise and was involved in the development and writing up until the third installment. Further, the screen time of the actor was remarkably minimal considering his previous films in the franchise. The action star already hinted that his involvement in the potential later movies would be slim to none as Statham is set to lead if the studio greenlights the future iterations of the characters. So, Lundgren may not appear in future movies in the franchise as Stallone nearly announced his retirement from the film series.
Dolph Lundgren Almost Killed Sylvester Stallone, Still The Friendship Retained
Lundgren’s recent comments on the future of The Expendables and his potential appearances being one of the senior members of the ensemble cast were clear indications of his friendship with Stallone. Obviously, it would be hurtful for the star to imagine the roster without his legendary co-star who literally forged the franchise by being involved in the creatives. Still, it is almost sneering to justify the fact that Lundgren almost killed Stallone with just one punch while filming Rocky IV.
“Dolph Lundgren put me in the hospital for nine days. I knew I was in trouble when I showed up and nuns met you at the ICU,” Stallone once said (via The Hollywood Reporter).
But Lundgren was not to blame as Stallone was the boss and got the hard punch while looking for realistic shots, “Just go out there and try to clock me,” he told Lundgren. Stallone learned his lesson, “I said, ‘Close. I did hit a bus, of sorts,’” he said of the moment that put him in the ICU for a while. Still, it strengthens the core of their friendship and it is retained.
Lundgren’s Wanted Man will hit the theaters on 17 January 2024.
