There are few franchises that can claim to be home to more than just one or two action stars, and The Expendables probably holds one of the top spots for most action icons that can be found in one place. The Expendables 4 will be no different with legends like Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, and an enthusiastic Dolph Lundgren on board. Wu Assassins star Iko Uwais joined the cast of The Expendables 4 as a villain, and he has now explained just what it’s like working with icons of the action genre.
In an interview with Okezone (translated via Comic Book), Iko Uwais talks about the value of experience when working with actors who have a wealth of knowledge and time in front of the camera for action films. Uwais says he values his time filming with seasoned actors and the sharing of knowledge. This is what he says, exactly:
Experience is very valuable for me to share a frame with senior players, who have a lot of experience. There are a lot of things that we share, what we think about them, beyond expectations.
Iko Uwais is far from a newbie in the action genre, as he has been acting in action movies for over a decade. He is also fluent in silat, an Indonesian martial arts practice, and his own father was a master in the art as well.
Even so, sharing a screen with some of the action genre’s biggest icons has got to be an experience that one can gain great insight from. It sounds like Iko Uwais wasn’t about to waste the opportunity, and he was able to greatly increase his own experience by filming alongside the likes of the heroes of Rocky and The Transporter.
While there are some serious action heroes involved in The Expendables 4, the fourth installment of the franchise brings in some other new (and major) faces too. Megan Fox is set to star in the film as well and while she doesn’t have as much action experience as some of the other stars, she’s still looking pretty badass for the film. Surprisingly, 50 Cent has also been cast in the upcoming film, and I honestly can’t wait to see him and Fox opposite the action legends.
Fans of the Expendables franchise can expect something a little different from its fourth installment, as it acts as both a continuation and a spinoff, focusing on Jason Statham’s character and his origin story. Although Sylvester Stallone remains in the film, it looks like he may be passing on the reins to Statham and taking a much less involved approach in the fourth film; he doesn’t even have a writer’s credit like he did on the other films.
Some cast members on The Expendables 4 have already wrapped filming, and injuries on set do not seem to have slowed down production. The film is set to release sometime this year, although an exact release date has not yet been revealed. Once the film does release to theaters, though, we can expect some A+ action from the all-star cast.