Fresh off his crime drama Arsenal, Steven C. Miller has signed on to direct Sylvester Stallone in Escape Plan 2.
At least, that’s according to The Tracking Board, who report that Miller will now supplant Mikael Håfström at the helm for a sequel designed to be a Chinese co-production with Leomus Pictures. Considering that a significant chunk of Escape Plan‘s $137 million haul came from overseas in 2013, news that the embryonic follow-up will cater to international audiences isn’t all that surprising.
Little is known about the plot of Escape Plan 2 at the moment, but we fully expect the action-thriller to incorporate some Chinese story elements in order to resonate with the local audience. China continues to be a huge player in world cinema, and with experts claiming that the country will become the biggest film market on the planet in two-to-three years, a Hollywood B-movie appealing to international audiences will no longer be the exception to the rule.
Pulling back the focus to Escape Plan 2, though, and we already know that Sylvester Stallone will reprise as the super-gruff Ray Breslin. Whether or not Stallone’s hard-boiled inmate will be joined be Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Emil Rottmayer is up for question – negotiations are ongoing, according to The Hollywood Reporter – but it seems safe to assume that the Austrian Oak will find time in his busy schedule to swing by for a cameo appearance at the very least. Beyond that, Schwarzenegger will soon flex his dramatic muscles for true-life revenge thriller Aftermath.
So, there you have it; Escape Plan 2 is officially a go with Steven C. Miller at the helm. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the action sequel as it inches closer to development, but let us know your early thoughts via the comments section below.