The Expendables movie series reminds me a bit of the old Warner Bros. cartoons that aped Hollywood in that time, where you never quite knew which Golden Age celebrity might make an appearance next. Somehow I doubt those cartoons had the rumor mills working overtime like The Expendables 3 does. Sylvester Stallone is obviously a part of it, as it’s essentially his franchise, but this third film’s extended cast is in constant flux. And we’ve got yet another possible bit of casting news that will be “hard to kill” until it’s either confirmed or denied.
The Expendables fansite ExBlog recently reported that several Bulgarian news sites are confirming that Steven Seagal will be joining the film as one of the good guys. This almost amounts to a non-surprise, since Seagal’s presence has been casually expected since the first film. Granted, Seagal’s fame initially came from films that focused more on fisticuffs and fight scenes over explosions and giant guns, but it didn’t take too long for his career to head in that direction. And while watching him partner up with Steve Austin for the action thriller Maximum Conviction will certainly get some people excited, we here at Cinema Blend would rather see him with a higher caliber of co-star. (I’m not entirely certain Wesley Snipes still fits into that description.)
Bulgarian news sites, which we simply don’t showcase enough on this website, are also reporting that rumors of Mel Gibson’s villainous presence in the film have been confirmed. This would be somewhat more exciting news if it turns out to be true, as Gibson’s acting abilities haven’t been dampened by his consistent tabloid appearances, even if his film role choices have. Seagal is far more of a guilty pleasure than Gibson, though I’m sure there are many fans out there who swear by Seagal’s squinty-eyed thespianism.
If this is true, it’ll be Gibson’s second antagonist in a row, after spending most of his career as a good guy. Oddly enough, his other role is in Robert Rodriguez’s Machete Kills, the sequel to Machete, in which Seagal played his first bad guy. Movie connections abound! (Incidentally, that was also Seagal’s first major film role in about a decade, and this would be his second.)
Seagal will be reteaming with Danny Trejo for the direct-to-video flick Force of Destruction and will also appear opposite Stephen Lang in Gutshot Straight. So he could stand to star in something a little more high profile.
Patrick Hughes’ Expendables 3 is set to release on August 15, 2014.
In case you’ve forgotten just how funny Seagal can be when whipping bad guy asses, check out the compilation video below.
