The Expendables cast just continues to grow with Antonio Banderas officially set to either kick ass or raise up the villainy another level. Preferably I’d say villains would be a pleasant fit given him and Stallone last faced off in Assassins (1995). How times have changed when back in 90’s it was cool to see just two Hollywood stars headline an action movie and now in 2013 the Expendables franchise seemingly has… well everyone. The news comes via ComingSoon.net, see their statement below:

After the announcement that Harrison Ford has signed on for The Expendables 3 comes the reveal from Entertainment Weekly that Mel Gibson and Antonio Banderas will also appear in the film. While there was no mention of Antonio Banderas’ role, Gibson is said to play the main antagonist for the film, confirming earlier rumors.

 

The pair join a cast that currently includes Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Statham, Kellan Lutz, Ronda Rousey and Victor Ortiz. The film set to shoot soon in Los Angeles, rumored additional cast members have been said to include Jackie Chan, Wesley Snipes, Nicolas Cage and Milla Jovovich, although none have been, as of yet, confirmed.

 

Both Banderas and Gibson will also appear in Machete Kills, which will be released on October 11.

 

The Expendables 3 will be directed by Patrick Hughes and is scheduled to arrive in theaters on August 15, 2014.

With the recent addition of Harrison Ford (“Get off my plane!”) and the boot of Bruce Willis (rumors of being greedy in his demands to return), the cast isn’t so much about recycling as it is about getting new/old faces into the franchise. I’m honestly not going to miss Willis, I feel as though he’s been mailing in his action performances as of late (RED2, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Die Hard Again or whatever the last Die Hard movie was called) and playing to his cliché action hero trope. He’s been there, done that, and I can’t blame him. But it’s still nice to see Stallone open up the field more so as a result.

I’m sure more casting news will break along the way. The second film I found to be not as great as the first, but for some reason I’m getting a better vibe with this third installment and honestly who knows how far it will go. If you still haven’t watched either Expendables movies thus far, they’re definitely worth a Netflix, Sky TV and broadband, on-demand, and/or Redbox rental.

Sources: ComingSoon.net