Not so "expendable" now! Rocky IV, Creed II, and The Expendables franchise stars Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren are teaming up once again for an action drama TV series. The show doesn't have a premiere date yet -- they haven't even shot the pilot at this point -- but it's called The International and it's already garnering a lot of interest in the industry.
It sounds like Dolph Lundgren will be the star -- which I can't complain about, since the camera still loves the 61-year-old action hero. Sylvester Stallone will be executive producing and possibly also directing the project. Based on this early word, it doesn't sound like Sly will be on screen, but I wouldn't be shocked if he was talked into at least a cameo.
Apparently, the new series was pitched to Fox, CBS, and NBC and also drew interest from Netflix and Apple. Deadline said ABC was the only major network not to get a pitch, since it's angling more toward female fare -- like Starz, it seems. It sounds like the show was a hit in pitches, and it's now one of the most sought-after shows of the new TV season.
The action series will reportedly star Dolph Lundgren as a covert operative at the Department of Safety and Security at the UN. He is described as the UN’s secret special agent, a one-man S.W.A.T. team and hostage negotiator. Sylvester Stallone revealed on Instagram that the show will be titled The International.
Myself and BALBOA PRODUCTIONS are so proud to announce this incredible new show called THE INTERNATIONAL ... It’s going to be fantastic working with my old hard punching friend @dolphlundgren !!! More info in the near future.
Ken Sanzel will serve as showrunner of the pilot, which he also wrote. Sylvester Stallone may direct it. The guy is pretty busy. He did direct The Expendables in 2010, after co-writing the script, but his directing credits have been pretty sparse since then.
Stallone and Dolph Lundgren recently reunited off-screen for some goofy fun with their Expendables buddy Arnold Schwarzenegger. It's clear they enjoy each other's company. That's good to hear, since Stallone keeps teasing The Expendables 4, most recently posting that "The boys will be back in town soon!"
Sylvester Stallone is big on keeping in touch with his old school action heroes, including his co-stars in The Expendables, but also franchise icons like his Rocky and Rambo. It sounded like he was retiring Rocky after Creed II, but several months later he's back with a new Rocky movie idea. And he already has Rocky V: Last Blood in the can, ready for its hard R release on September 20.
Last year, Dolph Lundgren brought Ivan Drago back for Creed II and also played King Nereus in DC's billion-dollar-baby Aquaman. Lundgren also played Konstantin Kovar in six episodes of Arrow, and had a role in Sharknado 5: Global Swarming. He's been in all three of Stallone's Expendables movies so far, so he's expected to be back for Expendables 4.
Are you curious to see where this action series lands -- network, streaming, etc. -- and how it turns out?
