Li in talks to star in Stallone pic with Statham

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News | Film News | by Mark Pollard

Jet Li

It’s an international action dream team in the making. American screen legend Sylvester Stallone, riding high on the recent rejuvenation of his action film career with ROCKY BALBOA (2006) and RAMBO (2008) is set to direct and star in THE EXPENDABLES for Nu Image/Millennium Films alongside British action star Jason Statham and possibly Chinese kung fu movie legend Jet Li who is currently in final negotiations.

Based on a script by Stallone, EXPENDABLES follows a team of mercenaries on a mission to overthrow a South American dictator. Working with his RAMBO producers Avi Lerner and John Thompson, Stallone begins shooting in February of 2009 in Costa Rica and Louisiana.

If Nu Image and Millennium Films seem familiar it’s because they’re the entities behind a string of recent direct-to-video actioners starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal including UNTIL DEATH and MERCENARY FOR JUSTICE. They’ve also produced action director Isaac Florentine’s recent hits including U.S. SEALS 2 and UNDISPUTED 2. In addition to Stallone’s EXPENDABLES, the companies are backing Florentine’s NINJA and UNDISPUTED 3, as well as upcoming RED SONJA and CONAN films.

This project may be the most interesting one we can expect to see Statham in for some time. He has a full slate of all too familiar actioners on the way including CRANK 2: HIGH VOLTAGE, THE BRAZILIAN JOB and a gritty crime thriller titled 13. TRANSPORTER 3 opens in theaters November 26th.

Since sharing the screen with Jackie Chan for the first time in THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM Jet Li has been focused on philanthropic work through his One Foundation. In 2007, Li had stated in Chinese media that he would no longer star in kung fu/wushu movies. This was widely misinterpreted overseas as announcement of retirement from acting altogether. While it’s likely that Li will star in fewer films going forward, there is no indication that he will stop appearing in action movies. After all, if Stallone can still star in action movies at age 62, then Li at the youthful age of 45 should have plenty of kick left in him for years to come.

Discuss this topic in the comment section below or in our related forum thread.

Source: Variety

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  • ina eaton
    I have always loved the "Rambo" movies, I love Sylvester Stallone movies,but Jet Li is my biggest favorite actor. And of course Jason Statham is a good partner in Jet,s movies,they work well together. I can hardly wait to see "THE EXPENDABLES",it will be amazing!!!
  • Ваш блог добавил в закладки. Теперь буду почаще его читать! Удачи!
  • gunswordfist
    Stallone is my second favorite writer/director (James Cameron's the best) so this is amazing news. I hope this movie is like The Enforcer meets Rambo.
  • Anonymous
    I would love to find out where in Louisiana they will be filming
  • AA
    It would be interesting to see as API actor(s) integrate w/ the main stream. We need more of us get out and be in front of camera.
  • TONY
    I STRONGLY BELIEVE EXPENDABLES WILL BE A GOOD MOVIE LOOK AT THE ACTION STARS IN IT BUT AGAIN A MOVIE WITH TO KUNG FU MASTERS LI AND CHAN WOULD BE GREAT BOTH PLAYING PARTNERS OR GOOD GUY BAD GUY EITHER WAY THE ACTION WOULD BE TREMENDOUS BOTH ARE GREAT.
  • ChehTinKang
    whoa man i'm really excited about this. stallone some what has good taste in movies, even if we don't like it. he finally let down his guard i think, because it seems like he's expanding and exploring. i remember long ago, when arnold was still doing movies. i heard in hollywood news that stallone wanted to do a movie with schwarzenegger. he wanted arnold to play like his retarded brother or something like that, which was really insulting, and disrespectful to arnold, that he decline.

    when jackie made his hollywood return, stallone supported him, which i thought was really cool, and they did a movie together, making cameo appearances with whoopi goldberg. after this, jackie chan's movies were re-releasing, including new releases, then jet li came etc. with all of these HK films, i didn't heard much what stallone's been doing. then finally after the new rocky and rambo, i've been hearing all sorts of stuff, good and bad. he was gonna do a cameo possibly with arnold in a bollywood film about a struggling stuntman. and now this whole deal with statham and jet li. stallone is a guy who would never do a movie with his competition i should say, but now its different. i think he plans on working with people that he hasn't worked with before.

    even now i would still like to see him do a movie with arnold. but the governator is busy, and i dunno, he got re-elected as i remember, and now he's doing a 2nd term as i understand. when that is over, i dunno if he would do movies again. the red sonja and conan films still seems to be in a galaxy far far away. u know what i mean? that might be enough time till arnold's term is done, then he can play that swordsman we remember in those days of high adventure lol.

    u know, if stallone can still be a action star at 62 years old. there is hope for arnold, and i hope we'll see a schwarzenegger/stallone project in the future.
  • WEJ
    Can we please have an action film that involves a genuine punch up between Statham and Li? War aka Rogue Agent was a good action flick, but the final fight was over in a second and hardly worth watching. Just get the two to do a good fight scene, it'd be so damn good.
  • Dashnak
    Jet Li is so cute when he smiles :-)) I would love to meet him once !!!
  • Dashnak
    Man, where can i find all these great movies ? Conan, Red Sonja ??? is Arnold Schwarzenegger playing a role in them ? I would love to see him play, he is great. But Jet Li is the best !!!
  • Lionclaw
    hmm. sounds interesting.
  • DragonSword
    Very cool, Stallone knows what people want, and I have faith in this movie. I also hope Stallone does a Rambo 5, very much looking forward to Stallone projects in the future.
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