The line-up of Sylvester Stallone's Expendables changed quite a bit from pre-production to the final movie. A movie pairing major action stars seemed like a no-brainer during the '80s and '90s, but the cost - and ego - involved in uniting name actors like Schwarzenegger, Stallone and Van Damme in one project seemed insurmountable back then. With the downfall of R-rated action movies during the 2000s, such a team-up became a lot more attractive to both producers and actors, leading Stallone to create The Expendables.
This film is said to have started as a gritty, dark thriller about the titular mercs, but as Stallone cast action luminaries like Jason Statham, Jet Li and Dolph Lundgren, it became more of an '80 homage. Throughout The Expendables movies, various names were linked to play roles, including Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen and even Clint Eastwood. The casting line-up of the first Expendables changed constantly as Stallone was prepping the film too, and the team could have looked very different.
Sylvester Stallone's Original Plan For The First Expendables Team Explained
Stallone famously called Jean-Claude Van Damme to personally offer him a role in The Expendables. Van Damme was coming off of the acclaim he received for meta-thriller JCVD and claimed to have ed on Expendables because Stallone couldn't tell him anything about his proposed character. The part of Hale Caeser had a revolving door of actors. It was written with Wesley Snipes in mind, but the actor's tax evasion case made his involvement impossible. Numerous reports linked Forest Whitaker as next in line for the part, though in an interview, Stallone claimed (via Writer On Writing) the actor was set to play a CIA agent later cut from the script.
50 Cent was then cast as Caeser but ended up dropping out before Terry Crews finally accepted the role. Liam Hemsworth (via Men's Health) was set to appear in The Expendables, though his role was cut at the last minute. Steven Seagal was approached for a cameo, though due to bad blood between him and producer Avi Lerner, he ed. Finally, Stallone approached Tango & Cash co-star Kurt Russell about playing CIA agent Mr. Church and wrote him a letter (via Craig Zablo's StalloneZone); he was later shocked to get a call from Russell's agent refusing to even send the letter and proclaiming Russell wasn't interested in "ensemble acting."
Sylvester Stallone Eventually Cast Several Of The Actors He Wanted
The success of The Expendables convinced some of the actors who ed to reconsider for the sequels. Van Damme played the lead villain in The Expendables 2 and stole the show, while 50 Cent has ed the crew for the The Expendables 4. After his release from prison, Snipes was cast as "Doc" in The Expendables 3 also. Sadly, Russell was never convinced to come on board, despite appearing in rival "ensemble" action franchise Fast & Furious as - irony of ironies - a mysterious CIA agent who doesn't use his real name.
Source: Writer On Writing, Men's Health, Craig Zablo’s StalloneZone
