People who need to appear in ‘The Expendables’

"The Expendables" Japanese Theatrical Poster

The third installment of the highly popular Expendables film series is due to open on August 15th. With Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, Wesley Snipes and Antonio Banderas added to the cast, there aren’t many action heroes left in Hollywood yet to appear in the franchise. If there is to be a fourth, which there most likely will be, here are some names we’d like to appear in it:

Floyd Mayweather: The undefeated pound-for-pound king Mayweather would be a perfect adversary for the Expendables. Once he’s fought Marcos Maidana (which shouldn’t be too difficult since he’s 1/16 favorite with Titan Bet to win the fight), he should make a foray into films. He’d be the perfect opponent for Toll Road, played by UFC fighter Randy Couture. If those two were to throw it down, it would be insane. The king of boxing versus one of the true greats of mixed martial arts is something we all want to see.

Jackie Chan: We all love Jackie Chan. He’s one of the true action legends, not just in Hollywood, but around the globe. However, we’d like to see him play a villainous role. The reason being is that we desperately want to see him and Jet Li square off. We have only seen the duo in one film thus far (the 2008 epic The Forbidden Kingdom). Now that film was great but the pair were on the same side; we are still waiting for them to battle one another. A bad guy role in the Expendables would saturate this desire. Who wouldn’t want to see the two greatest living martial arts actors go at each other?!

Steven Seagal: Alongside Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, Seagal was the greatest action movie actor of the 1980s/1990s. He is the one name that everyone wants to see added to the cast. It’s not for want of trying on Stallone’s part; he’s offered Seagal a role in all three films but has thus far been turned down. Nonetheless, with acting work starting to dry up for Seagal he surely cannot continue to turn down a role of this magnitude. If a fourth film does materialise and he is offered a part hopefully he will jump at the offer. We want to see Sly take on Steve.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson: Currently the highest earner in Hollywood, Johnson is without doubt the modern day action hero. At 6’5 in height and weighing 260lb, Johnson is a monster personified and the perfect opponent for Arnie. A former WWE champion against a former Mr Olympia has every fan boy salivating at the mouth. It would also be great to see the old guard taking on the new players.

Manny Pacquiao: Our next choice is Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao. Professional boxer. Politician. The only eight-division world champion ever. He’s been hailed as both the “Most Exciting Boxer” and “Fighter of the Decade” by the public and worldwide media. If Pacquiao vs. Mayweather never happens, the two dueling it out in an Expendables movie would be the next best thing. Unlike Mayeather, Pacquiao has the acting experience – not only has he appeared in a San Miguel Beer commercial with Expendables’ own Jet Li, but he also starred in a string of films in the Philippines – the guy was made for cameras!

Don “The Dragon” Wilson: Sure, this 11-time World Kickboxing Champion /Martial Arts Hall of Famer may not be a Blockbuster name like Schwarzenegger or Stallone, but there’s no doubt in our minds that he is just as qualified. Besides, if fellow low budget action star Gary Daniels had his time in Expendables, why not Wilson? After all, his 30+ films – including Bloodfist and Ring of Fire – were profit-making “Blockbusters” in their own right. The inclusion of Wilson definitely makes more sense than Liam Hemsworth, wouldn’t you agree? I mean, come on, Wilson is the real deal. Period!

Donnie Yen: Dubbed in the Hong Kong media as “The strongest man in the Universe,” Donnie Yen is another martial arts star that everyone is dying to see in an Expendables flick. Like Seagal and Chan, Yen’s name has always been linked to the franchise. Judging from his busy schedule ahead – and the fact that he’s practically fine with being a living legend on his own stomping grounds – we doubt he’ll give in. Part of us can’t blame him, the other part of us is saying, “Just do the darn film, will you?”

Tony Jaa: Tony Jaa, martial arts star of Ong Bak, is quite possibly the most physically amazing guy living today. We’re talking near-super human abilities. The possibility of Jaa appearing in the Expendables franchise are pretty decent. Considering he has a part in Fast and the Furious 7, he’s obviously not shying away from being part of an ensemble cast in a Hollywood movie. In addition, he’s currently working with Dolph Lundgren in an upcoming film, so he’s already made one strong connection to the franchise. No pun intended.

Iko Uwais: All the other action stars better watch out! There’s a new Sheriff in town, and his name is Iko Uwais. This Silat (Southeast Asian fighting method) martial arts expert took the world by storm in the critically-acclaimed, ultra violent martial arts action film, The Raid. With The Raid 2 just around the corner, Uwais has proved himself to be up there with the Donnie Yen and Tony Jaa. Sylvester Stallone himself is even an admirer of The Raid, a film he personally set out to top with Expendables 3! True story.

Runners up…

We obviously can go on and on, but here’s a list of other names that we would love to see in future Expendables movies: Bolo Yeung (Bloodsport, Enter the Dragon), Michael Biehn (The Terminator), Richard Norton (City Hunter), Chow Yun Fat (The Killer), Carl Weathers (Predator), Jean Reno (Leon: The Professional), Kurt Russell (Big Trouble in Little China), Mr. T (Rocky 3, The A-Team), Michael Dudikoff (American Ninja), Benny “The Jet” Urquidez (Dragons Forever), Philip Rhee (Best of the Best) and Sho Kosugi (Revenge of the Ninja).

There is no doubt that The Expendables 3 is going to be an action packed thrill ride and a box office success, so if there is to be a fourth, we can expect a whole host of action names attached. We’ll see what happens…