Expendables 4’s Most Exciting New Cast Member Risks Repeating Past Mistakes

The most exciting cast addition to The Expendables 4, Tony Jaa, could become the movie’s biggest disappointment if it repeats the mistakes of its franchise predecessors. Looking at the martial arts skills and past performances for the Thai actor, known for his starring roles in the Ong Bak trilogy, The Protector, and Furious 7, there are high hopes for Jaa’s Expendables 4 character.

After years of being in development limbo, a fourth movie in The Expendables franchise is finally moving forward. Just recently, the movie’s cast was officially announced, with Sylvester Stallone once again leading the team as Barney Ross. Also back for the next mission are Dolph Lundgren’s Gunner Jensen, Jason Statham’s Lee Christmas, and Randy Couture’s Toll Road. There’s no word yet on if the characters played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li, or Terry Crews will be back or not, but the movie will still boast plenty of star power through the casting of Jaa, Megan Fox, and 50 Cent.

Of the three new actors, the one that promises to be the most entertaining is without question martial artist Tony Jaa, a popular action hero who fits perfectly into The Expendables’ formula. However, his involvement doesn’t come without concerns. The Expendables has made use of truly skilled fighters like Jaa before, but unfortunately, some have been underutilized. Jet Li, for example, is one of the top martial arts stars of his generation, but barely had any memorable moments in the trilogy.

This problem can be largely attributed to the enormous size of the ensemble casts in each movie. When packed into a film that features over a dozen big names, it’s easy for a character – even one played by a kung fu icon like Li – to get lost in the shuffle. It was for this very reason that Jackie Chan was hesitant to join The Expendables franchise, explaining he didn’t want to be in The Expendables 4 if he was only going to be around for “five minutes.” Such little screentime would indeed feel like a waste of time for a big star, as well as a lamentable waste of their martial arts skills.

Jaa may not be a superstar on the same level as Chan or Li, but his Expendables 4 role comes with the same risks. With his agility and expertise in Muay Thai, Jaa proved in the Ong Bak martial arts movie trilogy and The Protector that he’s one of the best martial arts actors in modern cinema. The style he employs in his movies has a unique and deadly quickness to it that would be fun to see adapted to an Expendables movie. He could also unleash a few of his trademark flying knee moves. Hopefully, The Expendables 4 will do right by Jaa by truly showcasing what he’s capable of as a martial artist. It’s worth noting that the movie currently having a much smaller cast provides hope for that happening.

About The Author