Filming began this week on The Expendables, Sly Stallone’s batshit crazy action film that gathers together some of the greatest action movie stars of the last two decades – and Stone Cold Steve Austin. Yet Stallone is still adding cast members like crazy, with Brittany Murphy and David Zayas today signing on to join the mayhem.
In case you didn’t know, The Expendables’ main story sees a bunch of mercs – including Stallone, The Stath, Jet Li, Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Andy Murray, Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor, Condoleeza Rice and that bloke who lives two doors down from us and won’t stop playing loud music past 11pm - travelling to South America to take down an evil dictator. And Zayas, an American character actor who specialises in burly cops (16 Blocks, Michael Clayton), will play said very bad man.
OK, so it’s maybe not the marquee name we were expecting or hoping for – Vernon Wells was clearly busy – but Zayas is a fine actor and will do.
As for Murphy, whose career has stalled somewhat since 2005, when she seemed likely to become the next big thing, the movie will see her re-team with her Sin City co-star Mickey Rourke. She’ll play the singer girlfriend of Rourke’s arms dealer character, a role that will require her to sing a song.
Hmm… although Murphy can sing, we’re a little worried by this. Frankly, any moment in The Expendables that doesn’t concern ass-kicking, head-punching, or bullet-firing seems to us to be a moment wasted. But we’ll reserve judgment for now
Filming is currently taking place in Brazil and will soon move to Louisiana.