dwayne the rock johnson

August 15 will be the day that moviegoers will get to officially see the iconic who’s-who of blockbuster fanfare with the release of director Patrick Hughes’s new film, The Expendables 3. Ironically, it will also be the day that the filmmakers and studio involved will see if whether or not the film’s recent illegal leak with affect its box office earnings before ever moving forward with a fourth film. Lionsgate is suing a slate of unnamed defendants for allocating the film through torrent sites two weeks ahead of its release, while the Department Of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement has also opened up a federal investigation on the matter.

It’s a clusterfuck of epic proportions, and needless to say, this all would never be an issue if a bunch of selfish bastards online didn’t steal the film. Personally, I would rather talk about the movies, and that includes the prospects of there being a fourth film in the franchise – a subject of dialogue which has already been picking up steam off and on in the months leading up to now. Actor Pierce Brosnan is already on record showing interest, and the word is that fellow franchise actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson wants to hop in, only he prefers to play the villain instead, according to an answer to a hinted question during a Reddit AMA over a week ago. “I don’t want to be on their team and be buddies with them.” he said. “Fuck that noise. I want to hunt every single one of them down and tell them to ‘send your soul to heaven cause your ass is mine.”

Well, it seems the last 24 hours or so as of this write up have proven positive in this regard. Movie Cricket was on hand to talk to the actor during An Evening With Sylvester Stallone at the Manchester Arena on Friday. Soon after, Movie Cricket’s Billy Fletcher followed up on his report with the news. “Sylvester Stallone confirmed without any doubt to us that he wants Dwayne Johnson to play the villain of Expendables 4.” he says. “This is 100% Rambo confirmed.”

He goes on to say, “Sylvester Stallone confirmed that he saw the comments made by Dwayne Johnson, with the official Expendables Facebook page even uploading a new photograph poster, teasing Dwayne Johnson to ‘Bring It On’. It now seems Sylvester Stallone seriously likes the idea and sees Dwayne Johnson as the perfect villain of Expendables 4.”

A fourth looks probable, and could see some casting changes along the way with at least one actor dialing back on performing action due to health issues. The new film also features a younger generation of action heroes coming into their own on the silver screen, including Ronda Rousey and Kellan Lutz, and with a bankable star like Johnson in the ranks, The Expendables 4 looks like a keeper.

But alas, I digress. Hundreds of thousands (millions, even) of DVD-quality copies of the third film are now leaked onto the internet, and as a result, a lawsuit and federal probe are underway. Neddless to say, as difficult as it is to see a beloved cult favorite film get a sequel (see Dredd 2), if The Expendables 3 flops, don’t be surprised if a fourth film gets shelved indefinitely.

You want a fourth film? Earn it.

Johnson currently stars in Hercules, and will appear with Rousey in Fast And Furious 7 on April 3, 2015.

More