Action thriller's pumped up in third coming
The muscle factor is even more pumped up as The Expendables franchise expands its roster in third edition
There are more paparazzi than usual jostling for sidewalk space with a plethora of autograph hunters outside the Four Seasons hotel in Beverly Hills on a recent Saturday morning. Inside the ballroom, about to launch the US leg of a global press tour (including a brief stop in Macau last week), are some of the biggest stars in the world - all of whose entry into the room have been individually announced, as if at a state dinner.
Leading the pack is Sylvester Stallone, the lead actor, creator, producer and writer of The Expendables franchise, on hand to talk about the third film in the series. Anticipation runs high for the appearance of co-star Arnold Schwarzenegger, but he is a no-show. Instead, Stallone is followed in by Mel Gibson, who has one of The Expendables 3's meatiest roles; Swedish actor Dolph Lundgren; the steely looking Jason Statham; and Wesley Snipes, best known for his part as Blade in that eponymous series of films.
The third instalment is as densely populated as it sounds: the promotional material shows 16 weapons-toting, buff and black-clad stars (only one of whom is a woman) lined up shoulder to shoulder. It is also, as expected, packed with brawn, and a rotating cast of characters whose back stories play out against a flurry of bullets, bombs and a ridiculously high body count.
For director Patrick Hughes, stepping into the action franchise was, inevitably, intimidating. This was his first big-budget studio film and there he was, tasked with directing Stallone, Schwarzenegger and Gibson, together with Harrison Ford and Antonio Banderas, as well as a host of other actors, adjusting to their schedules and making sure that they all had enough time in the limelight.
"I'd heard a lot of stories going into it and it seemed quite daunting," the Australian filmmaker says. "At the same time, I had a job to do. My favourite part of the directing process is working with actors. The role of a director is 90 per cent communication. That's why I jumped on board. Sly [Stallone] called me and asked me to do the movie and I said, 'damn, yes'. It's a proven franchise, with 13 movie stars. Who wouldn't want to do it?"