The Expendables has made over $100 Million domestically, and a quarter of a billion worldwide. This virtually guarantees that writer-director Sylvester Stallone will be back for a sequel. And Bruce Willis told Coming Soon that his role in the next film should be that much bigger.
He also suggests that everyone from the first film who could be considered still breathing are coming back, even people who were shot repeatedly. Since the main complaint with the first film was that they spent most of their money on the cast, it appears Stallone has not learned his lesson. That said, delivering more Willis is not a bad place to start a sequel, whether as an adversary (like Wesley Snipes in Demolition Man) or as a partner (like Kurt Russell in Tango and Cash) it’s good to give Stallone someone to play off. Or perhaps audiences will get snookered again, and he’ll just have a scene.
The main fun in the next film will be the casting. I would love to see Tony Jaa fight Jeff Speakman. Perhaps Terrence Hill and Franco Nero will get served with some Shaq-Fu. All I know is that Olivier Gruner likely has his audition tape ready. But if they’re going to up the ante, the obvious choices would be Steven Seagal (who seems game – also gamey – in Machette) and Jean Claude Van Damme. But I think Stallone should shoot bigger and try for Mel Gibson as he villain. It would be great career rehab, and could be got on the cheap.
Willis is promoting Red, and about to shoot Rian Johnson’s Looper, which keeps picking up cast members (like Emily Blunt). I’m excited for Looper.