May 16, 2026 by Matt Rodgers

What do you do when the last entry in your action franchise stiffs at the box-office? For Eclectic Pictures and Hollywood Ventures Group, the answer is to dust off a decade-old idea by announcing a female-led Expendables spin-off called The Expendabelles.

If this news sounds familiar, then congratulations on the memory recall, because as far back as 2013 names such as Meryl Streep, Cameron Diaz and Milla Jovovich were being thrown around like live grenades, with Legally Blonde director Robert Luketic set to shoot the film in 2015.

The Expendabelles even had an official synopsis that reads,“some of the world’s deadliest female operatives must pose as high-class call-girls shipped in by private plane to satisfy a dictator–and instead save the scientist and the day.”

Fast forward to Cannes 2026, a location at which The Expendables 3 premiered in 2014, and The Hollywood Reporter state that the project is moving forward again as an origin story set in the late 1990s during the height of Y2K-era tension and geopolitical uncertainty, and that it willintroduce a new generation of elite female operatives in a stylized, action-driven cinematic event designed to expand the mythology of the franchise while standing firmly on its own.

Despite grossing over $855 million across the globe from four outings, the Sylvester Stallone-produced series appeared to run out of steam with Expendables 4, which limped to a franchise low $37 million in 2023.

Let us know who your dream casting would be for The Expendabelles by heading to our social channels @FlickeringMyth…