A Decade Ago, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Revealed His Desire to Join The Expendables Franchise – But Only as a Villain
In 2014, during an AMA on Reddit to promote the release of Hercules, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was asked if he would be interested in joining the Expendables franchise. In response, he revealed that he would, but on one condition: he wanted to play a villain. “I don’t want to be on their team,” he said. “I want to hunt every single one of them down.”
Johnson’s idea was to play a formidable foe to the team of mercenaries, joining the ranks of notable Expendables villains like Eric Roberts, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mel Gibson, and Andy Garcia. He even specified that he would spare only two heroes: Ronda Rousey, so he could have a training partner, and Terry Crews, so they could engage in a pec-pumping contest.
While there was no formal offer or pitch made to Sylvester Stallone, Johnson’s comment sparked an intriguing what-if scenario. The Rock could have brought a new level of excitement to the franchise, much like he did with the Fast & Furious franchise as Luke Hobbs.
In hindsight, a villainous role played by The Rock could have elevated the Expendables franchise, pitting a modern action hero against the aged action stars of the ’80s and ’90s. This could have led to an interesting meta conflict, exploring the clash between old-school action heroes and a new breed of stars.
Unfortunately, it seems that Johnson’s opportunity to join the franchise has passed, with only four films in the series thus far. Nevertheless, fans continue to hold out hope for a potential fifth installment or spin-off that might bring The Rock on board as the multifaceted villain he had in mind. For now, we’re left wondering what could have been, had the idea been pursued.
