The Expendables 4 has officially wrapped production, which means fans of the franchise are closer to get another installment in the action franchise. So far, we know a few things about the movie, though there are still plenty of unknowns. What is guaranteed is that Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren will once again star alongside each other in the upcoming film. The two Rocky IV stars obviously go back a long way, which means they’re very close. On that note, Lundgren has revealed the A+ prank Stallone played on him while they were making the first Expendables movie.
The Rocky alum recently spoke with Looper about his new film Castle Falls and his experience working with Sylvester Stallone on the first Expendables. During the chat, he told a great story about getting pranked by Stallone while filming one of the first scenes in the movie. Lundgren went into detail on the joke, adding in his best Stallone impression and saying:
On the first one, there is the first scene of the movie. It was great to work with Sly again, because I worked on setting it out in the first scene in the movie. I’m telling this joke that he wrote, of course, and then I show up, and I blow this pirate away. So tell him this joke. And try like four or five takes and Sly is like [goes into a perfectly nuanced Sylvester Stallone impersonation] ‘Do the joke.’ Finally, 15 takes. This is driving me crazy. I could kill this guy. Embarrassing. He was like, ‘OK.’ Fine. I got over it. And then I show up for ADR — where you do like a little voice replacement. So it’s first up, and Sly is like [does impersonation again] “Guess which take?” And it was the first one the whole time.
Wow, the actor/director made Dolph Lundren do over 15 takes of a simple joke and ultimately used the first one he did. It sounds like it was frustrating Lundgren, but it seems that even he had to admit it was a good bit. The box office-dominating film series always seemed like a nice way for all of the ensemble of action stars to get together and have a good time hanging out, and there are probably a ton of stories like this one. So it’s easy to understand why everyone in the cast keeps coming back for more, and the newest installment should be just as fun.
Unfortunately, Expendables 4 saw multiple injuries, though the production was adamant that it did everything it could to make sure the cast and crew were safe while working. The film will reunite many of the franchise’s key stars, who will be joined by some new faces. While working on the movie, Jason Statham even shared some badass set photos with The Raid’s Iko Uwais, a newcomer to the series.
Of course, many know Dolph Lundgren and Sylvester Stallone for their cinematic bout in the ring, and Stallone recently released his Rocky IV Director’s Cut. He was teasing it for a while and did so in a number of ways. He even touted the cut using some retro images of himself as the titular boxer and Lundgren as Ivan Drago. Stallone also told a story about almost dying after Lundgren connected with a real punch. It was a very close call and a reminder of how dangerous the sports movies could be to make. Still, the movie’s legacy lives on, as does the work of the two stars.
Dolph Lundgren recently commented on the possibility of a Drago spinoff following the character’s return in Creed II, and his statements indicate that there have been some discussions about it. All the while, the actor is also set to appear in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and is confident that James Wan’s sequel will be even better than the original. Between the superhero sequel, Expendables 4 and Castle Falls, Lundgren has a lot on the way. For his sake, though, let’s hope he didn’t get pranked on any of these productions by any of his co-stars.