Though The Expendables has obviously become a brand name, with two hit films now out there and rumors of a third all over the place, the concept of uniting a bunch of famous action stars isn't something you can copyright. So while we may never get an official female version of The Expendables-- which, inevitably, would be called something awful like The Expendablettes-- a different production company is apparently ready to give it a shot.
According to Variety production outfit 1984 Private Defense Contractors-- who are behind upcoming movies like Steven Soderbergh's The Bitter Pill and the Brad Pitt-starrer Killing Them Softly-- are in the works on a female version of The Expendables, with writer Dutch Southern hired to handle the script, and "several prominent actress affiliated with the action genre" reportedly in talks. Southern, despite the name that seems ready-made for a career in 70s Hollywood, is a relatively unknown property, with one film-- Hoof Harrington's Greatest Hits-- in development, according to IMDB.
Meanwhile, the idea of a female Expendables is kicking around all over the place-- Expendables 2 director SImon West even suggested the title "Expenda-Belles" to E!, while name-dropping the likes of Angelina Jolie Cameron Diaz, Milla Jovovich and Jamie Lee Curtis. His casting idea makes sense, and I'd be surprised if at least one of them isn't one of the "prominent actresses" in talks, but the title Expenda-Belles makes me want to take a nap, so I'll leave it at that. Let us know who you'd like to see in this still theoretical movie, and stay tuned for our own take on who ought to be in The Expendables 3 later today.
