The Expendables franchise is eyeing a female-centric spin-off, tentatively titled The Expendabelles. The popular series followed a group of elite mercenaries tasked with completing a seemingly impossible mission. The team-up movies brought together some of the biggest action stars of the last 40 years, including Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Bruce Willis.
The Expendabelles will likely follow suit by trying to recruit some of the best female action stars of the century, and because it will be set in the ’90s, there will need to be a cast of new characters. Here are five actresses who would be perfect to lead this spin-off.
5 actresses who should star in The Expendabelles
Charlize Theron
Every studio head who needs to find a female action star for a tentpole blockbuster must start with Charlize Theron. The Oscar winner is the ideal candidate to headline The Expendabelles because of her vast experience in the genre. Theron’s role as Imperator Furiosa is arguably one of the 10 greatest action performances, male or female, of the 21st century.
Judging by her recent choices over the past 10 years, Theron clearly has an affinity toward the action genre. Some of Theron’s action movies include Atomic Blonde, Fast X, The Old Guard 2, Apex, and The Odyssey.
At 50, Theron is still a big star with global name recognition. Seeing Theron as the first name on the call sheet automatically gives the spin-off credibility. She could easily star as the leader of The Expendabelles, similar to Stallone’s character in The Expendables.
Michelle Rodriguez
If The Expendabelles need a getaway driver, there is only one person to call: Michelle Rodriguez. For 25 years, Rodriguez has starred as Letty Ortiz in the Fast & Furious franchise. During her tenure, Rodriguez has become the lead heroine in a saga that features dangerous driving stunts and intricate fight sequences.
An integral part of the franchise’s success, Rodriguez is arguably the second most important member of the Fast family behind Vin Diesel. Adding a recognizable actor like Rodriguez from a seven-billion-dollar franchise to a new female-focused action movie feels like the right move.
Outside of the Fast Saga, Rodriguez has appeared in numerous action movies, including Girlfight, Resident Evil, S.W.A.T., Avatar, Battle Los Angeles, and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
Every great leader needs a talented No. 2. In The Expendables, Jason Statham became Stallone’s right-hand man. If someone like Theron leads The Expendabelles, I could see Rodriguez playing her top lieutenant.
Michelle Yeoh
Every good team needs a crafty veteran to provide wisdom and experience. Who better to fill that role in The Expendabelles than Michelle Yeoh?
Yeoh began her career as a do-it-all action star who performed her own stunts in action and martial arts films. Magnificent Warriors and Police Story 3: Super Cop are some of her earliest roles.
Yeoh reached international stardom as Wai Lin in Tomorrow Never Dies. Yeoh might have played a Bond girl, but she was no damsel in distress. Her martial arts background legitimized her character as an action heroine who stole the show from James Bond in the fight scenes.
After Bond, Yeoh’s crowning achievement in the martial arts genre came in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which resulted in a BAFTA nomination for Best Actress.
In recent years, Yeoh joined the Marvel universe in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and won an Oscar in Everything Everywhere All at Once. If an all-female team is assembling in The Expendabelles, a trailblazing actress like Yeoh deserves a spot on the team.
Milla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich might be the most underrated action actress of her generation. While three actors above this entry have ventured into dramatic and comedic work, Jovovich mostly sticks to action and sci-fi movies.
Jovovich broke out in 1997’s The Fifth Element, a sci-fi action movie with Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, and Chris Tucker. Five years later, Jovovich headlined Resident Evil, the movie that would define her career.
As Alice, Jovovich would headline six Resident Evil movies from 2002 to 2017. While these movies were not box-office behemoths, they did respectable business, as Jovovich’s six movies combined to gross over $1.2 billion. Keep in mind that these movies are based on a video game, not something in the Marvel or Star Wars universe.
At 50, Jovovich has shown no signs of slowing down, starring in three movies in 2025. Jovovich is used to being a lone wolf in the Resident Evil movies. It would be very interesting to throw her in a team-up movie like The Expendabelles and see how she fares.
Who do you want to see star in The Expendabelles? Are there any actresses we missed?
