Escape Planis one of Sylvester Stallone’s lesser known franchises, but in what order do they take place in? After breaking through withRockyin 1976, Stallone quickly realized the value of building up franchises. He had both theRockyandRambosagas to lean on when he needed a guaranteed hit, and he later createdThe Expendablesfor the same reason.Escape Planis arguably Stallone’s worst franchise, though that doesn’t necessarily mean there’s no fun to be had with them.
The original was one of severalSylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger moviesthat the former rivals made in quick succession during the early 2010s. The series cast Stallone as escape expert Ray Breslin, who often finds himself breaking out of or into “inescapable” penitentiaries. TheEscape Planfilms don’t have a particularly convoluted narrative, though the events of one typically have an impact on the next.
Sylvester Stallone’s Escape Plan Movies, Ranked Worst To Best
Sylvester Stallone has headlined the Escape Plan prison action movie trilogy - we rank the three films in the franchise, from weakest to strongest.
The Escape Plan Movies In Release Order
Did this Sylvester Stallone franchise get released or did they escape?
The firstEscape Plancame at an interesting time for both Stallone and Schwarzenegger. The latter was making his acting comeback following his stint as Governor of California, while Stallone was riding high off the success ofThe Expendables. The sheer novelty of seeing these two action titans together propelled the 2013 original to over $137 million worldwide (viaThe Numbers), though it was considered a disappointment domestically.
2013
2018
Escape Plan: The Extractors
2019
Escape Plan 2scored roundly terrible reviews, with Stallone himself later dubbing it “beyondawful.”
Schwarzenegger didn’t return forEscape Plan 2: Hadesand was replaced by a new character named DeRosa, played by Dave Bautista. The sequel featured Ray and his friends trapped in a high-tech, futuristic prison that forces inmates to fight. The sequel scored roundly terrible reviews, with Stallone himself later dubbing it “beyondawful.” Rounding out the trilogy is 2019’sEscape Plan: The Extractors, where an old enemy kidnaps Ray’s fiancée Abigail (Jamie King) and Ray has to breakintoa prison to save her.
The Extractorsisn’t great either, but it’s a marked improvement on the dire second filmin the series. It’s far more grounded and gritty and gives Bautista’s character a bigger role. Still, it received a tepid critical response, and there has been no sign ofEscape Plan 4entering production.
The Escape Plan Movies In Chronological Order
From Escape Plan to The Extractors
Escape Planhad a surprisingly convoluted narrative that involved Ray being set up by his partner Clark (Vincent D’Onofrio) to remain permanently imprisoned in “The Tomb,” which is revealed to be a prison ship. Arnie’s Emil Rottmayer is a kindly prisoner that Ray befriends and who aids his escape. Rottmayer is later revealed to be a mysterious thief called Victor Mannheim, who the people behind the prison spent years looking for without realizing they had him the entire time.
Escape Planends with Breslin and Mannheim escaping The Tomb, while Clark closes the story trapped in a container and being shipped to some unknown locale.Escape Plan 2mainly follows Ray’s protégé Shu (Huang Xiaoming), who is snatched and taken to HADES, an experimental prisonrun by another of Ray’s vengeful former students. It turns out this place was built by the same people behind The Tomb, so after Shu, Ray and DeRosa bring the prison down, Ray vows to find and destroy them.
The Extractorsdrops the latter sequel’s tease and instead sees Clark’s vengeful son Clark Jr (Devon Sawa) coming after Rayto avenge his father’s death. Clark Jr. snatches both Ray’s fiancée and the daughter of a Hong Kong businessman and holds them to ransom. Ray and his pals infiltrate a prison called the “Devil’s Station” and save the day - but at a great personal loss to Ray. The story closes with Ray seemingly retiring, and unless a fourthEscape Planhappens, that’s the way he’ll remain.
Outside of Stallone, rapper 50 Cent and Lydia Hull are the only actors to appear in all threeEscape Planmovies.
Escape Plan
Cast
An action thriller film that stars movie action heroes, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, Escape Plan follows Lawyer Ray Breslin, a security tester who enters a supermax prison to study its defenses. To accomplish the breakout, he’ll enlist the help of an inmate named Emil, a self-proclaimed hero who steals from the rich and gives to the poor.
Escape Plan 2: Hades
Escape Plan 2: Hades is the 2018 follow-up to Sylvester Stallone’s 2013 action film. The sequel picks up years after the original and centers on Ray Breslin (Stallone) returning to the inescapable prison to find one of the missing team members of his security force. Steven C. Miller takes over directing duties, and Dave Bautista joins the cast as Trent DeRosa.
Escape Plan: The Extractors follows security expert Ray Breslin as he is tasked with rescuing the kidnapped daughter of a Hong Kong tech mogul from a formidable Latvian prison. When Breslin’s girlfriend is also captured, he and his team undertake a perilous mission against a sadistic enemy.
