We Are The Shadows and the Smoke: Stallone Announces Retirement From The Expendables Franchise After Fourth Film
Sylvester Stallone continues to retire his most famous action characters as he took to social media today to announce that The Expendables 4 will be his last turn as Barney Ross in the action series. The first film in 2010 was a hit for the studio and has spawned three sequels, the latest is currently in the production phase, but Stallone says this will be the last one for him. Just a couple years ago, he said farewell to Rocky and bid a supposed final good bye to Rambo with the maligned Last Blood. There's still been some talk about another John Rambo film to cap the series but no momentum or movement has been made. Now the actor says that his time in The Expendables has wrapped and he will hand the franchise over to other stars like Jason Statham.
While wrapping, Stallone said, "It's time to be movin' on." He added he's "ready to pass the baton on to Jason Statham and his capable hands". This won't be the last time we see him in an action film though. They're currently polishing work on his other flick, Samaritan which will be released on August 22, 2022.
In passing he also added that he's, "getting ready to accept the next challenge".