Sylvester Stallone’s Expendables Franchise Officially Revives Cancelled Movie

Published May 15, 2026, 10:12 AM EDT Brennan Klein (he/him) is a senior news writer at Screen Rant, host of the Attack of the Queerwolf podcast, and contributor at Alternate Ending and Horror Press. He has been writing and podcasting about pop culture (especially horror movies) for over a decade at platforms including Blumhouse, Fangoria, Dread Central, The Backlot, and Arrow in the Head. This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that the female-led Expendables spinoff movie, which has been in development hell and had progress stall years ago, is back in development. At the Cannes Film Festival on Friday, Eclectic Pictures and Hollywood Ventures Group revealed that the project is part of a set of “globally commercial films” that they are currently working on together. The project is currently being developed under the working title Expendabelles. Lionsgate, the studio that now owns the rights to the franchise, is supporting the project, which is “a stylized, action-driven cinematic event designed to expand the mythology of the franchise while standing firmly on its own.” The version of the movie now in development will be a prequel set in the late 1990s, more than a decade before the events of the original Expendables movies. Expendabelles is still being packaged and does not have its key creative team set just yet. However, the producing team behind the project includes Eclectic Pictures' Heidi Jo Markel (who has been part of this project from the beginning) and Hollywood Ventures Group's Glenn Gainor. The executive producers are Thirteenth Studios’ Julie Kroll (who was also part of this project's initial development alongside Markel and Patrick Muldoon), Joe Smith, John Yarincik, Nelly Kim, and Stephen R. Foreht alongside HGV's Sandy Climan. Below, read comments on the revival of Expendabelles from Markel and Gainor: Heidi Jo Markel: We are thrilled to finally bring Expendabelles to life alongside our incredible partners at Hollywood Ventures Group, who share our passion for reimagining this property on a much larger cinematic scale. There has always been a strong global appetite for female-driven action franchises, and we believe the time is now to introduce a bold new generation of elite operatives into this universe. What excites us most is the opportunity to elevate the material by pairing it with top-tier creative talent and delivering a fresh, stylish, adrenaline-fueled experience for worldwide audiences. Glenn Gainor: We see this as an opportunity to honor the DNA of what made The Expendables resonate globally, while evolving it in a way that feels both timely and commercially compelling. This is a world audiences know, but we’re introducing them to it in a way they’ve never seen before. More to come... Video Game(s) The Expendables 8-Bit, The Expendables 2 Videogame, The Expendables 2: Deploy & Destroy First Film The Expendables Cast Jason Statham, Curtis Jackson, Megan Fox, Dolph Lundgren, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Randy Couture, Andy Garcia, Sylvester Stallone, Terry Crews, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li, Bruce Willis, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Wesley Snipes Created by David Callaham, Sylvester Stallone Latest Film Expend4bles Movie(s) The Expendables, The Expendables 2, The Expendables 3, Expend4bles, Expendables 5 This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available. Movies The Expendables - Franchise