Jason Statham Jokes About ‘Abandonment’ As Sylvester Stallone Hands Off The ‘Expendables’ Franchise

etcanada.com:

As filming on “The Expendables 4” wraps, Sylvester Stallone is officially leaving the franchise — and handing the keys to co-star Jason Statham.

In a video Stallone shared on Instagram, he asks Statham, “Are you feeling incredibly depressed?” “Hmm, rather happy — why?” Statham responds. READ MORE: ‘The Expendables 4’ Is Officially A Go With Megan Fox And 50 Cent Joining The Cast “Because I’m leaving!” Stallone says with mock seriousness, zooming the camera in on his face. “And you’re on your own.” “It’s going to be a very lonely set,” Statham muses of carrying on the franchise without the “Rocky”/”Rambo” star. “And now he’s deciding to leave us.

It’s called a mutiny! It’s called abandonment!” Stallone laughs, responding, “Yes, but you’re more than capable there, captain.” Statham, mocking anger, jokes, “But you’re supposed to be sorry, apologetic, rather than all happy about it.” READ MORE: Sylvester Stallone Reveals Whether He’ll Be Appearing In ‘Creed III’ “Well, as I’m wrapping my teeth around caviar and pheasant, I’ll be thinking about you, dear,” quips Stallone. “Me and my brother in action,” Stallone wrote in the caption.

Last year, Stallone issued a similar video to confirm he was leaving the franchise, and was “ready to pass the baton to Jason, and his capable hands.” Since the first film in 2010, the “Expendables” franchise has been a blockbuster, particularly in international markets, with the first three movies raking in more than $800 million at the box office worldwide; with Statham at the helm, the franchise promises to keep that success going strong.