Last year, Sylvester Stallone said that he wanted The Expendables 2 to be “a love letter to martial arts,” and now that letter has been answered: telling Entertainment Weekly (EW) that not only Jean-Claude Van Damme will be in it, but also Chuck Norris.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Van Damme earned the nickname “The Muscles from Brussels” in the original Bloodsport, Kickboxer, and Cyborg, along with Universal Soldier, Hard Target, Nowhere to Run, and Timecop.
Norris’ role is rumored to be an cameo like Bruce Willis’ Mr. Church and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Trent Mauser, who will play more “substantial” roles in the sequel, as will JCVD – including “a big showdown” with the man known as Rocky Balboa and John Rambo, whose Barney Ross character faced off against “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s Dan Paine in the original.
The Expendables 2 is currently set to be out in theaters on August 17, 2012.
