For years, every Expendables movie came with the same question: Will actor Steven Seagal finally show up to break some necks? Unfortunately, he never did. And in 2014, he finally revealed the real reason why. During an interview with The Big Issue, he gave the most Steven Seagal answer possible: “I just [don’t] like some of the people involved. Life is too short to work with funny people.” Was he pointing fingers at his old friend Sylvester Stallone? Or was it Jean-Claude Van Damme, who Seagal has feuded with for decades? Honestly, it could have been anyone. I mean, when was the last time Seagal sounded thrilled to work with anyone?
In the same interview, the Aikikai aikido master also took a swipe at modern action cinema. “Times change. People don’t have to be an action guy or a hero or a martial artist, they just get up there and let everybody spend the money and the time with special effects,” he said. Well, that’s pretty fair, but now, in 2025, Seagal has decided to prove his point by building his own version of The Expendables – with a team of actors he sees fit to fight alongside him. Except, it’s on a much smaller scale.
Order of the Dragon: The Return of the Legend marks the 73-year-old actor’s first action thriller in years and years. And if the first images and movie poster are anything to go by, it’s a bit like the Temu version of Expendables.
The good news, however, is that the Under Siege and On Deadly Ground star is back, wearing black suits and folding people into human origami. The bad news is the film comes from Dream Team Pictures (not Dreamworks) and doesn’t have a release date yet, but it already exists. That’s something, right?
Seagal plays Mason Ryker, “the last remaining member and leader of the organization Order of the Dragon.” Don’t laugh.
Director Vjekoslav Katusin unveiled the project on Instagram, sharing images and a message that reads, “I’m thrilled to share with you the plot of my new film Order of the Dragon, featuring the legendary Steven Seagal… Thank you for your enthusiasm and support! I can’t wait for you all to experience Order of the Dragon.”
The story sends hitman John Rico to Belgrade, Serbia, to kill Ryker after a job goes wrong. Doubts creep in. More assassins arrive. A villain named Commander Rouge shows up. Seagal waits in the shadows, repositioning his wig and snapping wrists.
Like The Expendables, the cast leans hard into action nostalgia, including Ron Smoorenburg, Michel Qissi, Michael Paré, and David Kurzhal, also known as Viking Samurai.
Katusin has big dreams for the project, saying, “I truly believe that Order of the Dragon will create a significant impact in the film industry… bringing back the action and flair that defined those memorable years.”
Will it? We have our doubts. Either way, Steven Seagal finally made his own Expendables. No Stallone or Jean-Claude Van Damme required.
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