Sylvester Stallone brought together beautiful people in “Expendables: Special Unit” and its sequels. One of the great absentees from the franchise obviously remains Steven Seagal, yet considered on several occasions. But according to the star of “Piège en haute mer”, the eagles do not fly with the pigeons…
Expendables : Sylvester Stallone’s wild horde
The early 2000s were very complicated for Sylvester Stallone. When he’s not playing a Formula 1 driver in driven, one of the worst films of the decade, the actor hunts down a cop killer in the sad Death Countdown, ersatz of Seven, or makes a cameo in the opening of Taxi 3. After several artistic disappointments, the actor and director rises from its ashes by devoting itself to the tired and poignant return of the character who made his legend. With Rocky Balboa, released in 2007, he finds his alter ego, accepts his failures and uses them wonderfully to relaunch his career.
A year later, it’s the turn of a famous Vietnam veteran to reappear in cinemas with john rambo, in the franchise’s most barbaric and disillusioned installment. After reintroducing the two most emblematic heroes of his filmography in the cinema, Sly delves into a project in which the producers find it hard to believe, but which arouses the excitement of his fans from the first announcements: a meeting between old and new action glories.
In 2010, Sylvester Stallone signed Expendables: Special Unit, for which he becomes the spearhead of a band of testosterone mercenaries. He lends his features here to Barney Ross, leader of a squad of soldiers operating around the world, to which Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews and Randy Couture also belong. For this first mission, these professionals of chaos must free the island of Vilena from the clutches of the corrupt general Garza (David Zayas).
Renowned guests: the hallmark of the franchise
In addition to these recurring faces, Mickey Rourke, Eric Roberts, Steve Austin or even Gary Daniels agree to make a brief visit or participate in the stress relief. For one scene, Sylvester Stallone even manages to exchange a few lines with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis, who will both have a more substantial presence in Expendables 2: Special Unit.
With this second part, then with Expandables 3, the interpreter of Barney Ross again succeeds in inviting old partners, young martial arts professionals as well as former major Hollywood figures on the decline. Jean-Claude Van Damme, Chuck Norris, Scott Adkins, Mel Gibson, Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas, Ronda Rousey and even Harrison Ford notably joined the party.
Despite this prestigious distribution, the public of the saga has long awaited the arrival of certain faces. This is for example the case of Nicolas Cage, hoped for since the second opus and who could very well have brought his share of hysterical sequences, while reconnecting with a genre to which he contributed with Rock, The Wings of Hell or Flip/Face. Among the other great absentees also features the essential and irreplaceable Steven Seagal.
Steven Seagal angry with Expendables?
During the production ofExpendables: Special Unit, Sylvester Stallone would have offered the role of Mr. Church to Steven Seagal, eventually held by Bruce Willis. The interpreter of Barney Ross would then have thought of the actor with a troubled past and to many scandals for the second episode, before him prefer his great enemy Jean Claude Van Damme. In 2013, a year before the release ofExpandables 3, the star of Nico and Trap on the high seas is finally announced at the casting.
But in June 2014, Steven Seagal assures that he does not will never participate in the saga. Asked by The Big Issue and quoted by Widescreen, the master of the pinwheel technique says:
I don’t like some people involved in it. (…) Life is too short, might as well work with nice people. (…) There are good and bad people everywhere and in the Expendables, some are sympathetic to me. So, it’s OK. (…) I like Jason Statham, I like Jet Li, that kind of people.
Teamwork, very little for Steven Seagal.
A tackle sent to Liam Neeson
It could be that the actor then does reference to producer Avi Lerner, with whom he reportedly had financial disagreements during the time they worked together on such memorable films as Deep Sea Trap, Mercenary and Killing Point.
During this interview, the…
