Jason Statham and Sylvester Stallone make for a dynamic action duo that is hard to rival. Both men bring forth intense physicality and levity, and between them, their onscreen kill count is bordering on ridiculous. When Stallone created The Expendables in 2010, he wrangled together one of the greatest action casts of all time.
The Expendables franchise ran for four movies, closing off with Expend4bles in 2023. Jason Statham and Sylvester Stallone shared the screen in all four movies and acted as the two lead protagonists. However, their cinematic relationship doesn’t end there.
Jason Statham Stepped In for Stallone in This Underrated Action Thriller
Many might forget that Sylvester Stallone actually started his career as a screenwriter. After penning his way to an Oscar nomination for Rocky, he has since kept his hand in and written an array of movies alongside his successful acting career. In 2013, the Italian Stallion passed on the torch to his Expendables co-star Jason Statham for the lead role in Homefront. Based on the novel of the same name by Chuck Logan, Stallone initially acquired the rights to the book and adapted the screenplay with the idea of playing the lead character, Phil Broker. However, when he felt he had aged out of the role, he asked Statham to take it on, but still stayed onboard as a producer.
Homefront tells the story of Broker, a former DEA agent who moves his daughter to a quiet town only to have their peaceful existence shattered right away. After his daughter gets into a fight at school, Broker soon tangles with the kid’s father, which sparks a feud with a local meth drug lord named Gator (played by James Franco). As with most Statham action flicks, Homefront was met with heaps of negative reviews upon release. However, it reeled in a worldwide total of $51.7 million against a budget of $22 million. It’s easy to see how this was initially intended to be a Stallone vehicle, due to its theme of a dangerous man having no choice but to unleash his skills once again. The action scenes are fast-paced, and Statham brings forth a cheeky charisma that lightens the mood. What’s more, James Franco shines in his understated yet chilling role as the villain who realizes he is in way over his head, causing him to take drastic measures.
A Working Man Has a Sylvester Stallone Touch
After the success of The Beekeeper in 2024, leading man Statham and renowned action director David Ayer didn’t wait long to work together again. A Working Man tells the story of Levon Cade (Statham), a man who has left his lethal profession behind to work construction and focus on being a good father. Yet, when a local girl vanishes, he’s asked to return to his special skillset to track her down. From here, a relentless mission ensues, and Cade’s past he tried so hard to bury comes back at him full swing. Once again, A Working Man is a film that is based on a novel, to which Sylvester Stallone adapted in his heyday as an action hero. Just like with Homefront, Stallone decided he is no longer age appropriate and passed on the part to Statham, an action star who shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
A Working Man is similar in tone to Homefront, with many critics quick to call the film repetitive and lazy. Although Stallone’s adaptation was re-worked by David Ayer, his style is felt throughout the picture. Despite the film somewhat lacking in character development, it does exactly what it sets out to do – provide mayhem and bloodshed. With its tale of a man haunted by his past, this film has echoes of Stallone’s Rambo movies, making it quite the nostalgic affair.
Will the Two Stars Work Together Again?
While Jason Statham’s career as an action hero is still on the up, Stallone has started to ditch his larger-than-life persona in recent years. The fourth Expendables movie was slated as being Stallone’s last venture as the unstoppable mercenary Barney Ross, and Statham was to carry the torch for the next entries. However, the film did not fare well at the box office and was heavily panned by critics. As of writing, there is no notion of a fifth instalment, and even if there was, Stallone has confirmed that he will not be returning. Instead, the two-time Oscar-nominee is heading into his third season of Tulsa King, Paramount+’s hit gangster show. Statham is next set to star in the action thriller, Mutiny, and will also return for The Beekeeper 2, where Timo Tjahjanto will replace David Ayer as director. So, unless Statham gets a role in Tulsa King season 3, it might be that A Working Man will mark his final collaboration with Stallone.
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