Though the artistic merit of testosterone-fueled action series The Expendables is up for debate, us genre fans are certainly lucky to have it. Why, you ask? Words can only say so much, but I’m confident that the picture above, taken off action icon Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Instagram account and snapped on the set of The Expendables 3, will prove my case. Crazy, right? The Terminator has an Instagram!
For the first time, we’ll be getting a film featuring both Schwarzenegger and Harrison Ford playing total badasses. I personally can’t wait to hear the one-liners that are sure to come out of this one.
I won’t insult you guys by identifying Schwarzenegger and Ford in the picture above, but if you are wondering who that guy in the middle is, that’s the film’s director, Patrick Hughes. The Australian filmmaker, whose only previous film credit is the action western Red Hill, is taking over from Expendables 2 helmer Simon West (Con Air). Hughes was handpicked by series star Sylvester Stallone himself.
Though I’m well-aware that the joining of these two action legends would have been a much bigger deal in, say, the late ’80s, the idea of the two of them fighting back to back still excites me to no end.
The Expendables has rapidly expanded its ensemble cast of action all-stars since the first film. This installment will see the return of Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, and Schwarzenegger, but will also mark the first appearance of stars including Ford, Mel Gibson, Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas, Victor Ortiz, Ronda Rousey, Glen Powell, and Kellan Lutz.
Check out the official plot synopsis below:
In THE EXPENDABLES 3, Barney (Stallone), Christmas (Statham) and the rest of the team comes face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks (Gibson), who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill… or so he thought. Stonebanks, who eluded death once before, now is making it his mission to end The Expendables — but Barney has other plans. Barney decides that he has to fight old blood with new blood, and brings in a new era of Expendables team members, recruiting individuals who are younger, faster and more tech-savvy. The latest mission becomes a clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise in the Expendables’ most personal battle yet.
The Expendables 3 blasts into theaters on August 15, 2014.