Expendables 2…something to get excited about!

Since we first heard about Sly Stallone’s testosterone fueled epic The Expendables, every action fan the world over was guessing as to who was going to be in it.

All was revealed last year, and it was a cast list that wasn’t it the slightest bit disappointing. From Statham to Li, Lundgren to Stallone himself and even Bruce Willis and Schwarzenegger popped in for one if the best film cameos I have ever seen.

If the film’s lack of script was an issue then the bangs and whistles that followed made up for it.

Of course the minute the end credits rolled everyone was thinking sequel, and Stallone is not one to leave his army of fans wanting more for too long.

With pretty much all the cast coming back, even the dead Steve Austin (alegedly), the rumour mill churned into life about which new action heroes would join up.

The first name to appear was no real surprise, having original turned down the roll in the first film. Since Jean Claude Van Damme graced T.V. with a somewhat cringe worthy fly on the wall docu series recently, he has been keen to get back into a film that has the potential to be a box office hit and not a stright to DVD flop.

News today reports that the Muscles from Brussels is officially confirmed and from what Sly is saying they will have a mouth watering showdown that might see the trademark round house kick used to its lethal ability.

Speaking to Entertainment weekly Stallone said: ““We’ll have a big showdown between me and Van Damme, which has been anticipated for a long time, so it should be a good one.” We don’t doubt that for a second.

Also confirmed is Chuck Norris, a cult hero himself he’s not been in a full feature since 2005, and is more well known for his T.V. series Walker Texas Ranger. Of course as an 80s action icon he’s just about killed and blown everything up you could possibly imagine, and we’re pretty sure he’s going to be one of the good guys.

Sly also said: “We’re trying to work out different scenarios. I like using people that had a moment and then maybe have fallen on some hard times and give them another shot.

So we’re always looking for actors like Michael Biehn and Michael Pare. I like those kinds of guys. Someone did it for me and I like to see if I can do it for them. We also need some new blood in there, a Navy Seal-type, because with the Expendables none of them have 20-20 vision anymore. They need some help, man.”

Stallone seems to be casting a wide net in his search, with Twilight’s Taylor Lautner another name to be mentioned. Lautner is probably looking to break free from the girl screaming Twight franchise, and I don’t blame him. His new film Abduction looks good and casts him in a Bourne-esque type role.

Lastly two of the worlds biggest action stars are also confirmed to reprise their roles, that short scene reminiscent of a meeting at Planet Hollywood will see Willis and Schwarzenegger back! As to how much screen time they are going to be getting is anyone’s guess but we’d hope its more than a couple of minutes.

Simon West is on to direct, and he has a few films that boast extreme action most notably Con Air so expect the unexpected!

That scene!!

 

Bruce Willis set for G.I. Joe 2

According to the Heat Vision blog, Bruce Willis is being sought after to join the ever growing team  for G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation.

The sequel has already acquired the likes of Dwayne Johnson, Adrianne Palicki and RZA to join original cast Channing Tatum as Duke, Ray Park (Snake Eyes), Byung-hun Lee (Storm Shadow) and Arnold Vosloo (Zartan).

Paramount feel Willis would add a little more clout to a sequel that I think is shrouded in potential flop.

Willis will be looking to play General Joe Colton as seen in the ’80s comic-book series. Colton founded the G.I. Joe strike team and was the first man to be awarded the moniker G.I. Joe.

This will be directed by John M. Chu and shooting begins in New Orleans at the end of the month, with the film is pencilled in for a release of 29 June 2012 in the US and sometime after in the UK.

Source: Total Film

Red to get sequel

Screenwriters Jon and Erich Hoeber have been hired to pen a sequel to the popular action blockbuster Red, which starred Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman.

The first film netted a whopping $164m at the worldwide box office and even earned itself a nomination at the Golden Globes this year for Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical).

The deal, which was revealed on Collider dsoe state however that hiring script writers is not the same as getting the film a green light, it will have to be approved first by studio Summit.

The success of the first film was mainly down to the cast, which as well as Willis and Freeman included John Malcovich and Helen Mirren (complete with machine gun).

As to how concrete the material would be on the sequel would be anyone’s guess, but we reckon that reuniting this group of old timers would once again do well at the box office.

Source: Collider




Bruce Willis promises Die Hard 5 & 6

You have to wonder just how much punishment one man can take, as Bruce Willis announces that his would be interested in making a Die Hard 5 and 6!

Willis has been talking up a fifth Die Hard in interviews all year, but now he’s hinted that he could make a sixth film as John McClane “before finally hanging that white vest up for good”.

Speaking with Showbiz Spy during press for new comic adap Red, Willis said that he wanted to do Die Hard 5, and then one final one with Die Hard 6.
He stated, “At the moment, I can run and I can fight on screen. But there will come a time when I no longer want to do that. That’s when I’ll step away from the Die Hard films.”

Clearly retirement from the action arena is beckoning, however Willis feels confident that the Die Hard legacy can continue on without him. I wouldn’t be so sure on this one and would be very mindful of him even thinking about pulling on the white vest once more.

“In the next few years they could easily find a replacement for me or call the character someone else,” he concedes.

Either way, it seems Willis is keen to atone for the highly criticised and slightly far fetched (come on landing on the back of a fighter jet) Die Hard 4.0 - where he joined forces with Justin Long against baddie Timothy Olyphant.

What do you think? Reckon you’d like to see John McLane back!

Bruce Willis In Drama Deal For Pal Joe Roth

Days after he scored a seven-figure deal from Universal for Snow White and the Huntsmen, producer Joe Roth is in the center of another auction.

In a competitive situation, QED and financier/producer Norton Herrick have committed to fund Ten, a drama that will begin shooting in December with Bruce Willis starring.

Patrick Allesandrin is directing a script by Skip Woods. Roth and Palak Patel will produce with QED principals Bill Block and Paul Hanson, Herrick and Woods.

This becomes the seventh film collaboration for Roth and Willis either while Roth was producer or studio exec. It was Roth who bailed Willis out of a Disney jam after the actor abruptly dropped out of the in-progress Broadway Brawler because of disputes with director  Lee Grant.

Facing a lawsuit and on the hook for the $17.5 million cost to scrap the movie, Willis was persuaded by Roth to make a three-picture deal, the smartest decision the actor made outside of saying yes to Die Hard.

Willis replaced Sean Connery as the star of Armageddon, getting around $3 million upfront (the rest was off set for the loss on Broadway Brawler, that was followed by The Sixth Sense and The Kid. The three movies grossed $1.3 billion worldwide.

Source: Deadline