Director John Woo [Photo: Screen Crush]
'The Expendables 3′ is in the works, whether you’re excited for it or not. Perhaps the main reason to get excited for the flick is to see who Sylvester Stallone wrangles in to join the ensemble, or Jackie Chan (rumored cast members have included Harrison Ford, Nicolas Cage to Clint Eastwood!) But perhaps even more crucial to the movie’s success will be the man sitting in the director’s chair. We’re still awaiting word of the ‘Expendables 3′ director but John Woo, who at one point was unquestionably the most exciting conductor of action, says he “will do it".
In an interview picked up by ExpendablesPremiere.com, Woo speaks about the possibility of directing ‘Expendables 3′ with enthusiasm:
I am a big fan of all those guys and I will do it but I want less studio and producer interference. I want to shoot the movie the way I want. That’s the difference making a movie in China and Hollywood. In China, The Studio and producer allow flexibility to the director. One thing for sure is, I want it to take place in China.
The director goes on to say that he’s already envisioned a big fight sequence between Jet Li and Jean-Claude Van Damme (who starred in Woo’s ‘Hard Target’), but – spoiler alert! – JCVD bit the dust in the last film, so that prospect is unlikely.
If Woo really were chosen to direct ‘Expendables 3′ (and there’s nothing to indicate that talks have actually taken place), there’s no question the project’s appeal would receive a very significant boost. Even though his later English-language films disappointed (anyone remember ‘Paycheck’ or ‘Windtalkers?’), Woo will always have clout with movie fanatics thanks to the brilliant mayhem he orchestrated with ‘The Killer’ and ‘Hard Boiled’. Woo’s masterful, over-the-top style seems rather well suited for the tongue-in-cheek world The Expendables play in.
However, if he’s worried about producer interference, he must realize that Stallone likely has the final word when it comes to these films.