MOVIE NEWS

It was just what Sylvester Stallone's next project needed - a wrestler.

Having receiving rave reviews for his performance as The Ram in the Darren Aronofsky-directed flick The Wrestler - and one that might just get him an unlikely Oscar nomination - the comeback king Mickey Rourke has joined the cast of The Expendables.

Variety has reported that the 52-year-old, who I loved as Marv in Sin City (2005), will work alongside 'expendable' mercenaries Dolph Lundgren, Jason Statham, Jet Li and Randy Coulture, and of course Stallone in the line-up. That's quite a bit of firepower.



Variety says, Rourke will play an "unscrupulous arms dealer who becomes the go-to guy" for the mercenaries, who are planning to bring down a South American dictator.

Stallone has written the script and will also direct. Shooting is set to begin in March before a 2010 release.

Variety went on to say, "In recounting his rise to Oscar contention with The Wrestler, Rourke has credited Stallone for helping him get back in the business at a low ebb, when Stallone met him at a restaurant and gave him a role in Get Carter (2000)."

While earlier reports had Sandra Bullock (who starred with Stallone in 1994's Demolition Man) also in the movie as a CIA agent, she apparently will not, but Academy Award-winner Forest Whittaker will.

So we've got Lundgren and Rourke, but what other old Stallone adversaries could he round up for The Expendables? Maybe Mr T? Better yet ... Dolly Parton?



I didn't get that excited about the latest installments of the Rocky and Rambo series, but I'm looking forward to this one. If only they could Arnie in there as well ... and this guy below with Mickey.