Sylvester Stallone Planning ‘Expendables 2′

Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables has only just hit theaters and already the musclebound multi-hyphenate is plotting a sequel to the $82 million movie.

Stallone told the LA Times, “I have an idea ready to go. People think doing a sequel is easy, but it’s not because you need the element of surprise. I’m going to try to do something that’s quite radical.”  It is anyone’s guess what “radical” might mean, but I doubt action fans would be opposed to pitting the aging heroes against one another.  If they’re still physically up for it, of course.

Naturally, a follow-up will depend on how the machismo parade performs against the estrogen-infused Eat Pray Love and geek favorite Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

Premature sequel talk isn’t anything new for Stallone, who hinted at a fifth Rambo mere days after the fourth (simply titled Rambo) racked up a hefty body count in 2008.  After rumors of a plot involving elite soldiers infected with “savagery” and a less hilarious tale of one final rescue mission, Stallone declared an end to John Rambo adventures.  Almost.

In true Stallone fashion, Sly left one percent of uncertainty for a fifth, just in case some studio executive was willing to fork over the cash.  There have been whispers of a prequel without Stallone, but he is not prepared to let that happen.  In an interview with AICN, Sly said:

“I certainly think this is worth pondering because it’s intriguing to find the whys and wherefores of how people have come to become what they are. The traumas, the loss and the tragedy of being in Vietnam would certainly be a great challenge for a young actor and it would be ironic that Rambo directs younger Rambo after having played it for 20 plus years.”  All the “whys and wherefores” point to dollar signs and reduced role for the 64-year-old.

Meanwhile, in California, there is talk of organizing state workers for a boycott directed at Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who recently enacted pay cuts and unpaid furloughs to correct the state’s struggling finances.  Underpaid, angry and with extra time on their hands, the union workers are planning to protest the theatrical release of The Expendables.

However, a boycott doesn’t strike a blow against Schwarzenegger, who merely makes a cameo, but Stallone who wrote, directed, produced and starred in the movie, and the studio or theater organizations that have nothing to do with the political feud.  This is the equivalent of picketing a McDonald’s because you’re angry at the lettuce industry.