The Word Garage

The Word Garage

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis Ready to Join ‘Expendables 2’

You can’t keep old action stars down. With production moving forward on Sylvester Stallone’s ‘The Expendables 2,’ the only thing left for producer Stallone and director Simon West to do is to firm up a couple roles that had been lighting up the rumor mill ever since the decision was made to develop a sequel to the $275 million worldwide grossing original.

Now, according to Deadline, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis have just closed deals to take “substantial” roles in the film.

This is good news for action fans, since it will bring together almost every tough guy star from the last 25 years: Aside from Stallone, original cast members Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke, Terry Crews, Steve Austin and Jet Li are expected to return, and there’s buzz about Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme joining as well. About the only hero missing is Steven Seagal. (Though he might be busy.)

Willis has been very busy lately; he’s off to Russia for ‘Die Hard 5,’ after which he’ll work on a sequel to ‘Red.’ Schwarzenegger, meanwhile, is working on Jee-Won Kim’s ‘Last Stand,’ where he’ll play a border-town sheriff who’s the only one standing in the way of an escaped drug lord intent on busting his way back into Mexico.

Filming will begin in October on the Lionsgate/Millennium Films ‘Expendables 2’; an Aug. 17, 2012 release date has been set.