All-Female ‘Expendables’ Spinoff ‘The Expendabelles’ Officially Moves Forward

Eclectic Pictures and Hollywood Ventures Group are officially moving ahead with a female-led expansion of The Expendables franchise. This new project is titled The Expendabelles, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

The film is being crafted as an origin story set in the late 1990s, during the Y2K era, a time characterized by global tension and fears of technological collapse. Rather than continuing the original team’s narrative, this film will introduce a new group of elite female operatives.

Producers have described the project as a stylized action film that will not only expand the universe of The Expendables but also stand on its own. In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, they noted that the film is being developed “with the support of Lionsgate.”

The concept of a female-led version of The Expendables has been discussed for several years. The original franchise debuted in 2010, featuring Sylvester Stallone alongside a cast of prominent action stars. That film was a box office hit, grossing over 100 million dollars worldwide and leading to several sequels.

Over the years, the franchise has become known for its ensemble casts of action veterans, including Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, and Mickey Rourke. Subsequent films introduced even more iconic names such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Harrison Ford, Wesley Snipes, Mel Gibson, and Antonio Banderas.

Previous attempts to create a female-led version have been made, including an earlier iteration in development around 2014, which was set to be directed by Robert Luketic, with a script by Kirsten Smith and Karen McCullah. This version focused on female operatives in a high-stakes rescue mission but ultimately did not progress.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, one challenge previously noted by Millennium Films executive Jeffrey Greenstein was “trying to find a way to justify why we’d have a woman team.” That earlier project ultimately stalled and was never produced.

Currently, Eclectic Pictures and Hollywood Ventures Group are reportedly in the packaging stage for The Expendabelles, actively assembling creative talent and planning the next steps for production. The aim is to build a new ensemble cast and take the franchise in a fresh direction while maintaining its action-packed essence.

At this point, no casting announcements have been made, and the film remains in early development.

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