The long-delayed female-led Expendables spin-off finally resurfaces with new producers, a fresh vision, and Y2K-inspired action ambitions.
A female-led version of The Expendables is officially back on track. Eclectic Pictures and Hollywood Ventures Group are teaming up for a new installment in the action franchise tentatively titled Expendabelles.
The project was unveiled on Friday during the Cannes Film Festival, instantly reigniting interest in a spin-off that has spent more than a decade trapped in development limbo. The original The Expendables, released in 2010, grossed more than $270 million worldwide and launched a franchise built around some of the biggest action stars in Hollywood history.
Sylvester Stallone led the original ensemble alongside Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, and Mickey Rourke. Later installments expanded the roster with Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Harrison Ford, Wesley Snipes, Mel Gibson, Antonio Banderas, and numerous other action icons.
The concept for Expendabelles originally emerged more than a decade ago from Heidi Jo Markel, Patrick Muldoon, and Julie Kroll in partnership with Millennium. Multiple creative teams attempted to bring the project to life over the years, including a 2014 version directed by Robert Luketic from a screenplay written by Kirsten Smith and Karen McCullah.
That earlier iteration centered on female operatives posing as call girls while attempting to rescue a kidnapped nuclear scientist, but the project ultimately stalled before production began. Millennium executive Jeffrey Greenstein later admitted one of the biggest creative hurdles involved figuring out how to justify a female team within the existing franchise framework.
According to the new producers, the revived version finally solves that problem by repositioning the story as an origin tale set during the late 1990s amid Y2K anxieties and escalating geopolitical tensions. The filmmakers describe the project as a stylized action spectacle introducing a new generation of elite female operatives while expanding the mythology of the broader franchise.
Heidi Jo Markel will produce alongside Hollywood Ventures Group co-founder Glenn Gainor. Executive producers include Sandy Climan, Joe Smith, Nelly Kim, Julie Kroll, Stephen R. Foreht, and John Yarincik. The companies are currently packaging the film and assembling creative talent for the planned production.
“We are thrilled to finally bring Expendabelles to life alongside our incredible partners at Hollywood Ventures Group, who share our passion for reimagining this property on a much larger cinematic scale,” Markel said in a statement.
“There has always been a strong global appetite for female-driven action franchises, and we believe the time is now to introduce a bold new generation of elite operatives into this universe.”
Gainor added that the team hopes to preserve the DNA of the original franchise while modernizing it for contemporary audiences. “We see this as an opportunity to honor what made The Expendables resonate globally while evolving it in a way that feels timely and commercially compelling,” he explained.
While casting details remain under wraps, the announcement immediately generated significant buzz across Cannes due to the continued demand for female-led action franchises. If successful, Expendabelles could potentially launch an entirely new branch of the long-running action property while introducing a younger generation of stars into the explosive universe Stallone created.
Tags: expendabelles, the expendables, cannes film festival, sylvester stallone, action movies
