It’s amazing just how many actors Sly Stallone can lure to the Expendables franchise. Bruce Willis may be gone thanks to an unbelievable amount of greed (more on that after the jump), but Stallone just managed to snag two more relics of the past for the third flick.
Harrison Ford is already a lock, but he won’t be the last new addition. Because an older desperado and a road warrior will also be tussling with the aged mercs when the film arrives next year.
Confirming the casting to EW, Stallone announced that Gibson would be his villain for the Expendathird, which is no doubt good news for those of you who enjoy seeing the madman wear a black hat more often. Or those Jewish audiences hoping that Gibson gets a suitably bloody demise on the big screen.
As for Banderas, there’s no concrete info on what his role will be, but I’m hoping that he’ll also be playing the part of an antagonist. Back in 1995, Banderas starred opposite Stallone in Assassins, as rival hitman Miguel Bain. If you haven’t seen that film, do yourself a favour and rent it, and you’ll agree on the idea of Banderas playing a badass out to annihilate Stallone and co.
As for Willis, it looks like the man was asking for a little bit too much cash for four days work on the film. How much cash? Four million dollars worth to be exact, a fee which couldn’t be negotiated with Stallone and led to his departure. Which also prompted Stallone to fire up on Twitter and text-shout the following:
GREEDY AND LAZY …… A SURE FORMULA FOR CAREER FAILURE
— Sylvester Stallone (@TheSlyStallone) August 6, 2013
Funny thing is, never say never on Willis not appearing in the film. Doing some damage control Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer said that cast deals “are being negotiated up to the last day” and that “you just never know… even on that part.” Feltheimer also said that “the franchise is going to have a lot of new and exciting blood in it.” So don’t rule Willis out just yet.
The Expendables 3 starts shooting soon, and will also star Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Statham, Kellan Lutz, Ronda Rousey and Victor Ortiz. Jackie Chan, Wesley Snipes, Nicolas Cage and Milla Jovovich are rumoured to also be popping up in the flick, so keep an eye out for those announcements soon.
Last Updated: August 12, 2013
