Chatting with Alan Ng, the stunt coordinator for the upcoming film The Expendables 4, he reveals insights into the movie’s most intense fight scenes and working alongside iconic action stars.
EXPEND4BLES, also known as The Expendables 4, returns to its hard R-rated roots, delivering over-the-top action with a rowdy and dangerous crew of mercenaries. The series owes much of its success to its impressive cast of action icons, with new faces joining the old favorites and teasing an evolution of the franchise. While staying true to its roots, The Expendables 4 expands on its action with the addition of martial arts legends Tony Jaa and Iko Uwais. To bring these scenes and the rest of the film’s stunts to life, stunt coordinator Alan Ng was brought on board. Ng, who is renowned in the industry, has collaborated frequently with Jackie Chan and has worked on films such as The Karate Kid, The Spy Next Door, and Hidden Strike. In an interview with Screen Rant, Ng discusses his experience on The Expendables 4, revealing the freedom he had as a stunt coordinator and his collaboration with the cast. It should be noted that this interview was conducted during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, and the film would not have been possible without the labor of writers and actors from both unions. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
In an interview with Screen Rant, Alan Ng, the fight choreographer for Expendables 4, revealed that he and his team were given a lot of creative freedom by director Scott Waugh to create the film’s fight scenes. Despite the pressure of joining the production late without any pre-visualization time, Ng shared that lead actor Jason Statham trusted them to create the fight scenes without any rehearsals. Ng’s favorite sequence in the film was the fight scene between Statham and Iko Uwais. When working with veteran action stars like Tony Jaa and Statham, Ng mentioned that they were very professional and only made minor tweaks to the fight choreography. Ng also praised Statham for being the most interested in doing his own stunts and having great timing and spacing during fight scenes.
The Expendables franchise is known for its intense and over-the-top action scenes, but in Expend4bles, the focus was on hand-to-hand and weapon combat to give the film a unique edge. Despite the challenge, the filming process went smoothly thanks to a great team. The interviewee has learned a lot from working with Jackie Chan and being accepted into his stunt team was a dream come true. While having taken on many roles in filmmaking, being a stunt performer holds a special place in their heart. Looking towards the future, they hope to work with Keanu Reeves, Tom Cruise, and Chris Hemsworth.
Expend4bles is bringing in a fresh wave of stars to join the world’s top action heroes for an action-packed adventure. The team of elite mercenaries, including Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, and Sylvester Stallone, are now joined by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, and Andy Garcia. With their vast collection of weapons and unmatched skills, The Expendables are the ultimate defense force, called upon only when all other options have been exhausted. The new members are equipped with new tactics and strategies that will bring a whole new meaning to the term “new blood”. Stay tuned for more interviews with the cast and crew! The release date for The Expendables 4 is set for September 22nd.
