The Expendables 3 is an upcoming American ensemble action film directed by Patrick Hughes,
and written by Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt, and Sylvester Stallone.
It is a sequel to the 2012 action film The Expendables 2, and features returning cast
members Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Terry
Crews, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
New additions to the cast include Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas, Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford,
Kelsey Grammer, Kellan Lutz, Ronda Rousey, Glen Powell, Victor Ortiz and Robert Davi.
The story follows the mercenary group known as "The Expendables" as they come into conflict
with ruthless arms dealer Conrad Stonebanks, the Expendables' co-founder, who is determined
to destroy the team.
It is the third installment in The Expendables film series.
Premise The mercenary group, the Expendables, led
by Barney Ross, come face to face with the team's co-founder Conrad Stonebanks.
Ross was forced to kill Stonebanks after he became a ruthless arms trader, but Stonebanks
survived and has now made it his mission to destroy the Expendables.
Ross resorts to recruiting a new and younger generation of Expendables to help the team
overcome his old adversary.
Cast Confirmed members of the cast include:
Sylvester Stallone as Barney Ross: Leader of the Expendables.
Jason Statham as Lee Christmas: The team's knife expert.
Antonio Banderas as Galgo: a former member of the Spanish Armed Forces who joins the
Expendables.
Jet Li as Yin Yang: The Expendables' hand-to-hand combat expert.
Wesley Snipes as Doc Dolph Lundgren as Gunner Jensen: Volatile
member of the team.
Kelsey Grammer as Bonaparte: Former mercenary and ally of the Expendables.
Randy Couture as Toll Road: The team's demolitions expert.
Terry Crews as Hale Caesar: The Expendables' barrel-weapons specialist.
Kellan Lutz as John Smilee: the leader of a team of younger mercenaries similar to the
Expendables.
Ronda Rousey as Luna: An athletic barmaid who teams up with the Expendables.
Rousey filmed her role while training to defend her title at UFC 168.
Glen Powell as Thorn: a highly trained combat veteran and hacker.
Victor Ortiz as Mars Robert Davi as Goran Vogner: The head of the
Albanian mafia.
Mel Gibson as Conrad Stonebanks: A rogue co-founder of the Expendables and a ruthless arms dealer.
Harrison Ford as Max Drummer: An authority figure and pilot who manages the Expendables.
Arnold Schwarzenegger as Trench Mauser Development
In March 2012 Couture said a third installment of The Expendables might begin production
in late 2012, after the release of The Expendables 2.
In April 2012, Steven Seagal said he was offered a role in a third film.
In August 2012, producer Avi Lerner confirmed that Nicolas Cage had been signed for the
sequel.
He also said that the producers intended to bring back the series' stars, had approached
Clint Eastwood about a role, and had plans to pursue Harrison Ford and approach Wesley
Snipes after his release from prison.
Stallone said, "We are thinking about different concepts—the third one is the hardest.
The second is the natural progression.
The third, that’s when the air gets rare.
We’re thinking ambitiously about it...You now have to give audiences something they
don’t expect at all—maybe even going into a different genre."
Also in August, Chuck Norris said he would not return for a sequel.
On August 13, 2012, Jean-Claude Van Damme indicated that Stallone might include him
in The Expendables 3 as Claude Vilain, brother of Jean Vilain.
On October 31, 2012, it was confirmed that Nu Image and Millennium Films were in the
process of pre-selling international distribution rights for The Expendables 3.
On December 19, 2012, it was reported that Jackie Chan had agreed to join the sequel
on the condition that he would have more than a minor role.
In March 2013, Stallone confirmed he was writing a script for the sequel, and that he intended
for the film to be more humorous with moments of drama.
Stallone also said that Seagal would not be in the film, and that he wanted to cast more
young actors in their mid-20's.
In April 2013, Stallone announced that Patrick Hughes would direct the sequel.
In May 2013, Chan, Snipes, Cage, and Milla Jovovich were announced to be in advanced
negotiations to join the film.
Filming is scheduled to begin in August 2013.
In June 2013, Lionsgate announced that the film would be released on August 15, 2014.
In July 2013 it was reported that actor Mel Gibson would portray the film's villain, and
in July, Stallone confirmed Gibson's involvement.
Also in July, Kellan Lutz, and professional fighters Victor Ortiz, and Ronda Rousey, were
added to the cast.
It was revealed that the film would feature several younger, technology-oriented action
heroes who clash with the veteran Expendables.
In August 2013, it was confirmed that Ford, Antonio Banderas and Glen Powell would join
the cast, and that Bruce Willis would not be reprising his role as Church.
Willis' lack of involvement was cited as a disagreement over money, with production sources
indicating that Willis was offered $3 million for four days of shooting in Bulgaria, but
Willis wanted $4 million.
On September 17, 2013, Kelsey Grammer was announced to be in negotiations to join the
film.
Principal photography began on August 19, 2013, in Bulgaria and at the Nu Boyana Film
studio in Sofia and ended on October 22.
In September 2013, Crews revealed in an interview that Statham survived an on-set mishap when
the truck he was driving plunged into the Black Sea after its brakes had failed.
In a November 2013 interview, Couture confirmed that filming had finished, and that discussions
for a fourth Expendables film were taking place.
Rating At the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, Stallone
announced that he was aiming for a PG-13 rating for the film.
Stating that albeit it was close to being rated R, he wanted to reach a younger and
broader audience with the new film.
On July 1, the Motion Picture Association of America granted The Expendables 3 a PG-13
rating; the given description being "violence including intense sustained gun battles and
fight scenes, and for language".
Release Marketing
On December 19, 2013, a first teaser trailer was released, with the intent of showcasing
the large cast of the movie.
At 2014 CinemaCon, the official poster of the film was shown for the first time, although
it only slightly differs from material shown before, featuring a white background instead
of a black one.
The marketing scheme of putting a huge emphasis on the film's ensemble cast of famous action
actors was continued in early April, when 16 character posters of the film's cast were
released and divided over four websites for maximum exposure.
One day later, the first trailer with actual footage from the film premiered, again highlighting
the film's huge cast, being referred to as a "roll call trailer" by Lionsgate.
At the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, Millennium Films hosted a special event promoting the
film at the Carlton Hotel, with Stallone, Statham, Schwarzenegger, Gibson, Ford, Snipes,
Banderas, Lundgren, Grammer, Couture, Lutz, Ortiz, Powell,and director Patrick Hughes
attending.
The event lasted the entire day and featured the cast driving down the Croisette in tanks.
On June 5, a new TV trailer with new footage from the movie was released.
Instead of highlighting the all-star cast like the previous ones, this trailer focused
on the new additiones to the cast, prominentely Lutz, Rousey and Ortiz, contrasting their
young characters with the more experienced ones of Stallone and Grammer.
The same day, Sylvester Stallone also released a behind the scenes video via his Twitter.
On June 17, a long cinematic trailer was released, giving a first look at Mel Gibson as Conrad
Stonebanks, as well as showcasing the film's story for the first time.
A week later on June 23, the new banner was released, featuring all 17 cast members except
Robert Davi.
A week later on June 23, the new banner was released, featuring all 17 cast members except
Robert Davi.
On June 4 a new TV trailer was released, containing new footage, although mostly consisting of
footage already released.
A longer version of the trailer was released a week later, and one day after that, another
TV trailer, themed to coincide with the 2014 FIFA World Cup, was released.
Sequel In late 2013, Randy Couture confirmed that,
although The Expendables 3 had not yet been released, there were already plans for a fourth
installment.
This was confirmed in March 2014 by former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan, who stated
that he had agreed with Avi Lerner to star in a future The Expendables sequel.
Hulk Hogan claimed on his Twitter that he will be in the fourth film.
References
External links The Expendables 3 at the Internet Movie Database
Official website