775 replies to this topic

[dodge]

Well it seems a certain Mr. H. Knowles is visiting the New Orleans set of The Expendables, so in the next few days we can no doubt expect a Katrina-sized fanboy gushing.

LOL. It's exciting though. I hope Harry blows the lid off the most sadistically guarded set in all of cinema history.

[dinovelvet]

Somebody restrain Loomis!

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/41461

[dodge]

Somebody restrain Loomis!

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/41461

finally, some rrrrrrrrrreallllllll news! Thanks, dino.
This'll be a gazillion times better than RB!

[Harmsway]

THE EXPENDABLES may be getting a PG-13 rating:

...there will be both PG-13 and R rated cuts for The Expendables and they will test each to decide which to release.

[Agent 76]

[Matt_13]

IGN had a set visit as well: http://movies.ign.co...6/996849p1.html

[dodge]

IGN had a set visit as well: http://movies.ign.co...6/996849p1.html

fine article. Thanks, Matt.

[Loomis]

IGN had a set visit as well: http://movies.ign.co...6/996849p1.html

fine article. Thanks, Matt.

Some interesting words from Sly:

"This started out as a dark comedy, as a satire," admits Stallone. "Then it became a really hard-R, then it went back. It wasn't until, literally, a week before filming that we just said, 'OK, let's make it this kind of movie.' It has poignancy, but it's not preachy. It's a dark comedy, but it takes the stereotypes of guys like Jason Statham and shows that for as tough as he is, he has problems with women, or that the only thing I've acquired in my life is a truck. That I can't even relate to human beings anymore. They're very, very tough in their own world and extremely weak in the real world."

"What I try to do with these men who seem invulnerable is show that they have feet of clay," explains Stallone. "So the audience says, 'That's me!' You can still have that flaw, that human touch. Take Rocky. It's not about him boxing. It's about Adrian. It's about him finding love and making somebody's life better. You've got some tough men in this movie. Some bad-, trust me. We've got extras in this movie that could conquer countries. Yet this is a romantic film. It's about this one woman in Latin America that represents this kind of innocence and passion and willingness to die for a cause. If it's just about muscles and bullets, that's a pretty limited thing."

[dodge]

Ethelmae wraps up her reporting:

so here we are with only 4 days of shooting left before we wrap it up and head back to our lives. I’m feeling a little melancholy as I usually do when a film draws to a close but for some reason I’m really feeling it on this one. It has been such a cool experience being a part of this film and working with this amazing cast and crew. But it aint over til its over and we still have a whole lot of stuff to do…Jason throwing knives and kicking an interloper’s on a basketball court, a car crash in a warehouse somewhere in NOLA with Dolph and Sly and a church with or without the character Church. On Thursday July 2 at 5:30pm I bid adieu to the Crescent City and along with Miss Sadie head back to Hermosa Beach.


BUT...

Ok now for Church…I saw on several websites that it is Bruce Willis but as I write this nothing has been confirmed about who will play Church. Someone PLEASE make a decision here people!!!

Good grief...Guess they can do a one-day shoot anytime before release but still...

[Matt_13]

I'd be slightly underwhelmed with Bruce Willis, to be honest.

[dinovelvet]

Ethelmae wraps up her reporting:

so here we are with only 4 days of shooting left before we wrap it up and head back to our lives. I’m feeling a little melancholy as I usually do when a film draws to a close but for some reason I’m really feeling it on this one. It has been such a cool experience being a part of this film and working with this amazing cast and crew. But it aint over til its over and we still have a whole lot of stuff to do…Jason throwing knives and kicking an interloper’s on a basketball court, a car crash in a warehouse somewhere in NOLA with Dolph and Sly and a church with or without the character Church. On Thursday July 2 at 5:30pm I bid adieu to the Crescent City and along with Miss Sadie head back to Hermosa Beach.


BUT...

Ok now for Church…I saw on several websites that it is Bruce Willis but as I write this nothing has been confirmed about who will play Church. Someone PLEASE make a decision here people!!!

Good grief...Guess they can do a one-day shoot anytime before release but still...

Curiouser and curioser.

They will also be filming Ahnuld's scene(s) later on at some point in California.

[Matt_13]

http://movies.ign.co...9110110575.html

[jrcjohnny99]

Very strong rumors that the first footage of this will be at Comic Con..

[dinovelvet]

Very strong rumors that the first footage of this will be at Comic Con..

That would make sense given the fanboy-friendly buzz its been getting. Hopefully whatever they show ends up on the net.

[Matt_13]

When is comic con?

[dinovelvet]

When is comic con?

A horrendous looking gathering of nerds in San Diego every July. It used to be about, well, comics, but now its become a sort of Cannes film festival for sweaty geeks, where blockbusters-in-waiting like Iron Man and Watchmen get exclusive previews and the actors turn up for panels etc.

[dinovelvet]

Supposedly the new issue of Empire boasts an exclusive Stallone/Rourke pic.

[dinovelvet]

This is a bit of non-news, but in this uh "report"

http://www.moviefone.com/minute

apparently "the studio" (no doubt via a generic "source" or "insider") wants to turn The Expendables into a franchise. Well, duh. Every action movie gets made with a view to sequels, doesn't it. So there's hope for those of you who wanted to see Seagal and van Damme etc mix it up with Sly and co.

[Safari Suit]

I can see it now The Expendables: Part II will be accompanied by the release of two DTV movies introducing the new members.

In the old days a cartoon series with an accompanying toy line would have been a certainty.

[Loomis]

Well, the obvious thing about an EXPENDABLES sequel is that you could - presumably - do it without Stallone. Get Statham to headline the next one, and maybe Jet Li as the lead in EXPENDABLES 3, and away you go. No doubt most of the direct-to-video muscelemen rounding out the cast of THE EXPENDABLES would jump at the chance to return, whereas Sly (the most difficult chap to get back for a sequel, one imagines) might well pass, but no matter: the whole concept is of a team of mercenaries rather than a Stallone star vehicle as such.

If Stallone declines to star in EXPENDABLES 2, he could probably be kept semi-onboard by helping to "produce" it (according to the IMDb, RAMBO had twenty producers!), or having a "story by" credit, or doing the sort of cameo that Schwarzenegger is doing for this one. So a sequel seems fairly likely, with or without the Slymeister. The other day, I was reading something somewhere that the makers of THE EXPENDABLES are already planning storylines for EXPENDABLES 2 and 3.

[dodge]

Well, the obvious thing about an EXPENDABLES sequel is that you could - presumably - do it without Stallone. Get Statham to headline the next one, and maybe Jet Li as the lead in EXPENDABLES 3, and away you go. No doubt most of the direct-to-video muscelemen rounding out the cast of THE EXPENDABLES would jump at the chance to return, whereas Sly (the most difficult chap to get back for a sequel, one imagines) might well pass, but no matter: the whole concept is of a team of mercenaries rather than a Stallone star vehicle as such.

If Stallone declines to star in EXPENDABLES 2, he could probably be kept semi-onboard by helping to "produce" it (according to the IMDb, RAMBO had twenty producers!), or having a "story by" credit, or doing the sort of cameo that Schwarzenegger is doing for this one. So a sequel seems fairly likely, with or without the Slymeister. The other day, I was reading something somewhere that the makers of THE EXPENDABLES are already planning storylines for EXPENDABLES 2 and 3.

I'm not surprised by this. I predicted long ago that there would be a sequel. Inevitable. I'm puzzled though by your statement that Sly is "the most difficult chap to get back for a sequel." Was your tongue in cheek or is my memory failing me: hasn't he done a...few sequels?

[Loomis]

I'm puzzled though by your statement that Sly is "the most difficult chap to get back for a sequel." Was your tongue in cheek or is my memory failing me: hasn't he done a...few sequels?

No, I typed that statement with a straight face.

Now, it's true that Sly's no squirrelly amateur when it comes to sequels. However, he's 63 years old, which means he's only got a few more years as a leading man. So I don't see him being so free and easy with followups as he was in the past. He'll be picking his roles and using his time much more carefully.

That said, it appears that after THE EXPENDABLES he'll be going straight to, erm, RAMBO V. So what do I know?

[Safari Suit]

Well, to be fair he's only ever made Rocky and Rambo sequels; he hasn't done Cobra or Demolition Man of Cliffhanger sequels like he could have done. Though of course not that long ago he was seriously talking about a Cliffhanger 2, so I have no problem seeing him making an Expendables 2.

[dodge]

I'm puzzled though by your statement that Sly is "the most difficult chap to get back for a sequel." Was your tongue in cheek or is my memory failing me: hasn't he done a...few sequels?

No, I typed that statement with a straight face.

Now, it's true that Sly's no squirrelly amateur when it comes to sequels. However, he's 63 years old, which means he's only got a few more years as a leading man. So I don't see him being so free and easy with followups as he was in the past. He'll be picking his roles and using his time much more carefully.

That said, it appears that after THE EXPENDABLES he'll be going straight to, erm, RAMBO V. So what do I know?

Agreed about his age being a key factor. But if The Expendables hits $200 million, as I think it may, Sly will be hard-pressed to turn down the offers--and the box office clout--that are certain to be his. Pride and ego, imo, will compel him to sign out with another hit franchise. We'll see.

[Loomis]

I think a $200 million box office prediction for THE EXPENDABLES is way too optimistic.

Even now, in the midst of his surprisingly acclaimed comeback, Stallone is no great crowdpuller. ROCKY BALBOA took $70 million at US cinemas, while RAMBO's haul was a mere $43 million.

It's true that THE EXPENDABLES is getting a heck of a lot of positive advance buzz, but then so did WATCHMEN ($108 million). The target audience for THE EXPENDABLES is mostly males from their late 20s up, and the hardcore viewership will probably be 30-something blokes like myself who have a lot of nostalgia for the Slymeister.

Teens won't go crazy for THE EXPENDABLES. There won't be any merchandising. To get to a gross north of $200 million, you usually need to have a family-friendly FX-ridden fantasy flick that'll appeal to kids - yer HARRY POTTERs, yer TRANSFORMERS, yer animated fare. Even Bond can't do $200 million.

At best, I see THE EXPENDABLES matching TAKEN's take of $145 million - it should draw the same kind of people. With a bit of luck and a following wind, it may even rival FAST AND FURIOUS ($155 million). Then again, I won't be too surprised if it ends up hovering around the $90 million mark.

I think it'll do better than ROCKY BALBOA and RAMBO, but it doesn't have a prayer of taking $200 million.

[Safari Suit]

Yeah, bear in mind a lot of the "buzz" for this movie (such as it is) is coming from pretty much the same crowd who three years ago thought Snakes on a Plane was the funniest thing ever, and would be the film event of the year. I imagine The Expendables will make more money than SOAP (after all, Rambo did) but $200million, if we're talking domestic, is rather unlikely.

[dinovelvet]

Yeah, bear in mind a lot of the "buzz" for this movie (such as it is) is coming from pretty much the same crowd who three years ago thought Snakes on a Plane was the funniest thing ever, and would be the film event of the year.

I don't think its the same. Geeks on the internet went wild over Snakes because it sounded like a terrible/hilarious film, and they were celebrating its awfulness, which the studio mistook for genuine interest in the film; when it came down to box office most of these people couldn't be bothered to show up, or couldn't get mom to drive them to see it, and it turned out that most of the "hype" for it was ironic. I don't think many people are being ironic about wanting to see The Expendables; pretty much anyone who has ever seen more than three action movies is taking one look at the cast list and getting excited.
Yeah OK so Dolph Lundgren and Eric Roberts are only going to get a small group of people excited, but you've got Stallone, Statham, Li, and Rourke, not to mention an Ahnuld cameo (which they need to take full advantage of for the trailer), and those are all genuine names/stars. Plus you've got a wrestler and a UFC fighter in there, which should get at least a portion of those fanbases to turn up.
As for box office, I really have no idea, but I think foreign/non-US is where most of the money will be (both Rocky Balboa and Rambo did better outside the US). If it does Rocky Balboa numbers, it will probably be considered a success. Its funny though, Jason Statham is considered one of this generation's big action stars, yet his biggest solo hit, Transporter 2, grossed a whopping $43 million in the US. So if that's considered a hit and is sequel-worthy, then The Expendables should do just fine!

[Safari Suit]

I compared it to SOAP because it seems to me to be mostly exciting the same "geek"/Ain't it cool news crowd. I'm sure it will do better than that film, but I would be hesitant to suggest truly bofo box office is in the offering.
It is kind of strange Statham is considered a star when most of his films actually make less than pre-Under Siege/Timecop Seagal/Van Damme vehicles made even without adjusting for inflation, price increases etc. A shame as I've grown to be quite fond of him, and even checked out that Dungeon Seige film just for him. I've heard he wants to play Daredevil for what would otherwise be another yawn-inducing reboot proposol. That would be fun; "move your harris you plonker, I'm blind!"

[Captain Tightpants]

While it might be coming from the same people who talked up SNAKES ON A PLANE, I think that THE EXPENDABLES could work if it's designed as a tribute to the genre rather than as a straight action film. Kind of the way PULP FICTION was a tribute to noire, and KILL BILL was to the revenge film sub-genre.

[dodge]

$200 mil. The nose knows. The draw isn't Stallone in himself, but the great altogether. Stallone AND Staham AND Li et all. Plus, you never know, they may land a truly Great Bopper to take the part of Church.