THE EXPENDABLES 3 (Patrick Hughes, 2014)

[Jox]

I sure can see it bomb as well if they don't make it right... And maybe Sly isn't blind about it either (hopefully) and is why is making a bold choice here. From his recent posts he seems determined to make it pretty gritty and hardcore. But it's actually surprising they haven't gone to Fuqua since OLYMPUS is a Millennium film (don't know how it did elsewhere but the box office wasn't so hot in France and I missed it).

PS And amen to "screw the casting!" and don't to make it all about it! The old timers are good enough for me, just need a really good action movie that's not just pop-corn and winks.

[Tom]

I'm really disappointed Hyams hasn't been given the shot. That said I'm gonna check out Red Hill. Reviews were pretty decent.

If they limit the casting to just Chan and Snipes, I can live with that. The film needs a strong bad guy and to make use of him. I kind of like JC in Exp 2. He was interesting but he was also wasted to be honest. They could have done so much more with him. Snipes could be an awesome villain, especially if they give him enough screen time.

[Jox]

Sly probably met with a lot of directors, he didn't just throw Hugues out of his hat, so maybe Hyams was one of them and it didn't work out for a reason or another? And didn't Sly said he saw REGENERATION 3 years ago when he was teasing for EX2? So does he likes Hyams work (would be surprised he didn't) and has he seen DAY OF RECKONING? Do Nu Image like him (they might find him too artsy to their taste)?

[leigh1975]

Sly probably met with a lot of directors, he didn't just throw Hugues out of his hat, so maybe Hyams was one of them and it didn't work out for a reason or another? And didn't Sly said he saw REGENERATION 3 years ago when he was teasing for EX2? So does he likes Hyams work (would be surprised he didn't) and has he seen DAY OF RECKONING? Do Nu Image like him (they might find him too artsy to their taste)?

FAR too artsy. This is Nu Image's cash cow, and they won't risk it on an arty actioner. Plus, Hyams fights a lot of battles, the studio may want someone who will do the job as a 'yes' man.

[leigh1975]

But it's actually surprising they haven't gone to Fuqua since OLYMPUS is a Millennium film (don't know how it did elsewhere but the box office wasn't so hot in France and I missed it).

Olympus Has Fallen is a really good actioner, but I'm not sure you would get Fuqua on the same set as Bruce Willis... I read several articles stating that they had trouble working together on Tears Of The Sun.

[leigh1975]

I wonder if Jet Li will be in this? He seemed shoehorned into TE2 in order to boost Chinese box office... His part was so minimal, I can't see him coming back. Mickey Rourke, on the other hand, should at least make an appearance. He was the heart of the first film (an element missing in TE2).

[Jox]

Rourke got out of EX2 as apparently he didn't want to do it or wanted too much money and it seems they had convinced Li at the last minute after they couldn't get Donnie Yen to be in it. So Li certainly "expendable" (no pun intended) if he's to show for 5 mins and disappear (plus he looks out of place with these big guys).

[leigh1975]

He's always seemed wasted in the franchise. Even in the first one he barely registered in the climax.

[Jox]

And it was still better than in the first draft of the script where it was all mockeries and racist jokes towards his character (reminding me of BULLET TO THE HEAD, so does Sly has something against Asians or does he just thinks he's funny that way?)!

[Tom]

And it was still better than in the first draft of the script where it was all mockeries and racist jokes towards his character (reminding me of BULLET TO THE HEAD, so does Sly has something against Asians or does he just thinks he's funny that way?)!

I dunno. A lot of Sly's humour is just a bit goofy and old hat. He reminds me of some older British comedians who haven't evolved from Carry On jokes. His gags are always a bit scatter shot and very random. Like much of the humour in the first Expendables, which seemed ad libbed often, all seem a bit weird, a bit forced and more like it had come from Sly's mouth rather than any of the other actors. I mean Terry Crews for example, is a funny guy in other things. But so far in two Expendables he's not been that amusing. Sometimes I feel like he's doing what he'd been told to, rather than inputting his own humour. Which is a shame.

Sly's always had a kind of weird, often misjudged sense of humour.

[Nathan]

From his recent posts he seems determined to make it pretty gritty and hardcore.

I hope that he sticks to his guns this time and actually delivers what he initially promises. Remember last time he said TE2 would be a love letter to martial arts? It was more like hate mail...

I would say that in order to make TE3 successful they do indeed need an awesome plot and the trailer should be 1.30 minutes of focus on plot and 30 seconds action at the end as a teaser. Not half the friggin' final fight in it! TE2 was just straight action, the trailer was, the film was - everything was. I can accept that. But I think they need to realise they can't just repeat that again. I loved TE2 for what it was but it pretty much shot down any credibility part 1 had established as a gritty and surprisingly well-made franchise.

This new director, shit, I musta missed this when skimming over both this board and the VDF board...how did I miss it twice?! I have no idea who this guy is and to be honest I think that is a good sign sometimes. Why keep repeating the past and doing the same thing anyway? John Hyams doesn't. Although admittedly either he or Roel Reine should have been given a shot at this. They understand how to get the most from a budget and a cast.

Talking of cast...stick with the original Expendables, kill a couple in the opening, make Dolph bad again and face-off Sly (this could be Sly's final big on-screen bout and the fact that he would verse Dolph again would be fitting and kinda come full circle), add in Chan and Snipes and possibly bring back Van Damme although I think the twins angle is cheesy, if indeed fitting to his career. But above all, concentrate on making a good movie. And please, no more Norris jokes.

[Jox]

Remember last time he said TE2 would be a love letter to martial arts? It was more like hate mail...

I'm not sure I remember that from his mouth, but what's for sure is that with all the respect I have for Sly: I don't think he knows anything about martial arts per say. Boxing? sure, MMA? he learned about it, but pure traditional oriental martial arts? I don't think so. It would all look like it to him as long as there is a kick thrown somewhere... I don't think TE is the film for a martial arts "love letter" either.

[leigh1975]

I remember the quote, when he was talking about the film before production began, he said one of the ideas he had was that he wanted to make a love letter to martial arts MOVIES. That seemed to get lost in the mix once writing started, even more so when Simon West came on board; it's clear he has little interest in shooting martial arts fight sequences... how can you shoot a fight sequence between Scott Adkins and Jason Statham and make it boring and anticlimatic? The hand-to-hand fight sequences in TE2 were so disappointing.

[Jox]

Many changes in Sly ideas and rewrites since his first brainstorming, the first script by the SPACE COWBOYS scribes, the Richard Wenk script when West got on board, and Sly's prep and shooting re-writes...
Thing is on EX2 they filmed fight scenes in half a day (2 days max for Sly vs JCVD) and had to simplify their fights at the last minute on the day of shooting (typical on a DTV but this was a big budget shot 2 & half months (+HK & NoLa)!

[Ivan, Jr.]

Film schedules change everyday, as I said this tentative production date is to take with a pinch of salt especially from the Nu Boyana website (I would have said prep in August and filming start date in the fall), and Snipes wouldn't have to be there right from the beginning...

Sly continues tweeting and rooting for Mel Gibson as director BUT he admits it be a REAL LONG SHOT...

Sylvester Stallone ‏@TheSlyStallone
Mel is a MAGNIFICENT director! Pure passion on every level . we'd be blessed to have him.. A REAL long shot, but LIFE is a long shot -right?

Snipes could try to get a jail "Work Release Program Pass" to film a part in TE 3. Just like Robert Downey, Jr. did(remember he did some time due to his booze and drug addiction in the past) in 1998 to co-star in "U.S. Marshals" with Tommy Lee Jones and none other than Wesley Snipes!