The Marvel Cinematic Universe is by far one of the most ambitious and successful attempts to create a film franchise in Hollywood, something that has surpassed the wildest expectations of the general public. But what many may forget is that this is nothing new, in fact, the earliest attempts at creating a franchise were made by none other than Sylvester Stallone.
The legendary creator of some of the most successful film series in the world, the star has both the experience and the reputation to put his hand down on any potential franchise and turn it into gold. This was also the factor in him dreaming big for his The Expendables franchise in the past until the box office numbers for his latest film in the series were revealed.
Sylvester Stallone Wanted To Turn The Expendables Into A Cinematic Universe Like The MCU
As the man who single-handedly created some of the most iconic action cinematic franchises of the ’80s and ’90s like the Rocky and Rambo series, no one can deny the fact that Sylvester Stallone has the chops to bring lofty ambitions to reality. This wisdom and the drive to keep bringing testosterone-filled action films was the reason why the star went ahead and created The Expendables franchise, which has now become one of the biggest in the industry along with his other projects. But he just didn’t stop there, as he wanted to take this up a notch.
During a press conference in the past about his then-upcoming The Expendables 3, Stallone was asked just how far he wanted to take the franchise in the future, to which the star had an interesting response. He said that since the industry was leaning towards a more ambitious approach from different production companies, he wanted to create an Avengers-esque cinematic experience like the MCU where different stories were told, and at the end, combined for that epic conclusion that Marvel Studios is famous for. He said:
“We’d like to continue this because its an ongoing experiment too. You have a great franchise in The Avengers and all that situation where you can branch off and do other things. Ideally, I would love to see some of these characters let go through their own movies. I know that’s maybe a pipe dream, and then you come together for the big festival of voilence or the great challenge of whoever the villain is”
Apart from this, the Demolition Man star also talked about an all-female cast of The Expendables which might be in the cards in the future.
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Will There Be More Of The Expendables In The Future?
The vision that Stallone had for the franchise certainly had some substance to it since the series recently added a new installment to its roster with the release of The Expend4bles. But contrary to popular expectations, the film wasn’t as well received as the production and the die-hard fans of the franchise expected.
So far, in its opening weekend, the film has managed to earn a measly $8.03 Million at the domestic box office with the international numbers yet to be revealed. This level of performance shrouds the future of the franchise in a fog of doubt.