From pre-production to the finished film, Sylvester Stallone’s Expendables cast saw significant changes. The cost – and ego – involved in pairing recognizable superstars like Schwarzenegger, Stallone, and Van Damme in one film appeared impossible earlier in the ’80s and ’90s, when a movie starring prominent action stars felt like a no-brainer. Such a pairing became much more appealing to producers and stars in the 2000s with the decline of R-rated action films, which inspired Stallone to develop The Expendables.
This film is said to have started as a gritty, dark thriller about the titular mercs, but as Stallone cast action luminaries like Jason Statham, Jet Li and Dolph Lundgren, it became more of an ’80 homage. Throughout The Expendables movies, various names were linked to play roles, including Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen and even Clint Eastwood. The casting line-up of the first Expendables changed constantly as Stallone was prepping the film too, and the team could have looked very different.
Sylvester Stallone’s Original Plan For The First Expendables Team Explained
Stallone famously called Jean-Claude Van Damme to personally offer him a role in The Expendables. Van Damme was coming off of the acclaim he received for meta-thriller JCVD and claimed to have passed on Expendables because Stallone couldn’t tell him anything about his proposed character. The part of Hale Caeser had a revolving door of actors. It was written with Wesley Snipes in mind, but the actor’s tax evasion case made his involvement impossible. Numerous reports linked Forest Whitaker as next in line for the part, though in an interview, Stallone claimed (via Writer On Writing) the actor was set to play a CIA agent later cut from the script.
50 Cent was then cast as Caeser but ended up dropping out before Terry Crews finally accepted the role. Liam Hemsworth (via Men’s Health) was set to appear in The Expendables, though his role was cut at the last minute. Steven Seagal was approached for a cameo, though due to bad blood between him and producer Avi Lerner, he passed. Finally, Stallone approached Tango & Cash co-star Kurt Russell about playing CIA agent Mr. Church and wrote him a letter (via Craig Zablo’s StalloneZone); he was later shocked to get a call from Russell’s agent refusing to even send the letter and proclaiming Russell wasn’t interested in “ensemble acting.”
Sylvester Stallone Eventually Cast Several Of The Actors He Wanted
The success of The Expendables convinced some of the actors who passed to reconsider for the sequels. Van Damme played the lead villain in The Expendables 2 and stole the show, while 50 Cent has joined the crew for the upcoming The Expendables 4. After his release from prison, Snipes was cast as “Doc” in The Expendables 3 also. Sadly, Russell was never convinced to come on board, despite appearing in rival “ensemble” action franchise Fast & Furious as – irony of ironies – a mysterious CIA agent who doesn’t use his real name.