With two financially successful instalments already under its belt, Lionsgate is looking to wheel out its collection of aging stars for another explosive action ensemble, with development already well underway on The Expendables 3. Earlier this year, producer Avi Learner revealed that Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford, Wesley Snipes and Nicolas Cage were on the wishlist to join the Expendables’ roster for the third outing, and while none of those are yet to commit, Chinese action icon Jackie Chan has become the first new addition to confirm his involvement with the threequel.
“[Sylvester Stallone] had invited me to be in The Expendables 2 but I was too busy filming CZ12 and couldn’t make a commitment to the film,” said Chan during a press conference for his latest film CZ12 in Kuala Lumpur. “But he did extend his invitation to the third movie, which I agreed on the condition that I will be appearing as more than just a minor role with a few scenes.”
According to Cinema Online, Chan went on to state that he’d “revealed to Stallone that he hoped the third installment of the franchise would run along the lines of a ‘buddy-buddy’ movie should Chan be starring in it, which the Rambo star obliged.” Considering the selling point of The Expendables is its collection of star names, you have to wonder about the accuracy of this last statement. I have a sneaky feeling Jackie will be a little disappointed if that’s what he’s expecting, so let’s hope he forgets about his ‘buddy-buddy’ ambitions and we get to see him lining up alongside Barney Ross and the rest of the gang when the The Expendables 3 hits cinemas in 2014.
Be sure to check out Cinema Online’s full article, in which Chan discusses the possibility of converting the Hollywood buddy movie Skip Tracer into Rush Hour 4 (he sure loves his buddy movies), as well as a few comments about Police Story 2013 and the autobiographical musical I Am Jackie Chan.