The Expendables 4 isn’t guaranteed. The films in Sylvester Stallone’s aging-action-hero franchise have made less and less money over the years, with the latest chapter earning an embarrassing $39.3 million domestically. That stings. Tomorrowland made that in one weekend, and it’s being called a disappointment. But if Stallone wants to get people interested in The Expendables 4, one way to grab headlines is to cast Hulk Hogan in a villainous role.
The Hulkster was speaking to fans at the Body Power Expo in England recently, and conducted a Q-and-A session (via Uproxx) that covered a whole mess of topics, including a conversation that he claims to have had with Sylvester Stallone about The Expendables 4, explaining:
We’re trying to figure out a way to maybe turn me into the most evil man in the world. Y’know, Stallone gave me my first break and he’s been a great friend. We had a great conversation, talking about the possibilities. Can I still run, can I still jump? Well, not as fast or not as high, but I think Hollywood could find a good stunt man to help me out."
By "my first break," Hulk Hogan is referring to his Oscar-worthy role of Thunderlips in 1982’s Rocky III, where Stallone’s Rocky got in the ring with the towering giant:
Hogan has stayed very busy on screen over the years, not just in character (his words, not mine) as Hulk Hogan in the WWE, but also as a reality television star. He candidly admits in this Q-and-A that his acting career "sucked," and he takes credit for opening the door for fellow wrestlers to make names for themselves as box-office draws. (Are you listening, The Rock? San Andreas wouldn’t exist without Hulk Hogan!) I don’t know if a role in a fourth Expendables movie would juice Hogan’s career as a movie star. Ask Wesley Snipes what The Expendables 3 did for his stardom.
Here’s the full Q-and-A with Hulk, which is a little sad. It’s like the audio version of The Wrestler, with Mickey Rourke.
As for The Expendables 4, I’m willing to bet this stalls in the planning stages, but we’ll continue to track the sequel’s progress as it possibly moves along.
