When Sylvester Stallone put pen to paper, (he writes long hand, no typewriter or computer) he envisioned The Expendables as a teeth grinding action film that was both relevant and poignant; a story with a theme the audience would respond to.
"I wanted to revisit a certain kind of feeling, a certain kind of film making, a certain kind of mentality," explains Stallone. "A story about men that were out of sync with the world but who lived their lives by a certain code.
"They don't have families, their personal lives are a train wreck - all they have is each other. I wanted to give the audience a glimpse into the hearts of these men."
For inspiration, Stallone used old school action films like The Dirty Dozen and Dogs of War as his model. Movies where men were men, combat was mano a mano and the story was believable.
"Action is secondary for Sly," explains Kevin King, Stallone’s long time producer and confidant. "For him the script must have heart and story. Those are the two main things he has taught me.
If you don’t have heart, you don’t have story which means you don’t have a movie. For Sly it’s not just blowing something up," he adds. And while the
action in a Stallone film can hit critical mass, in The Expendables the story trumped all.
Over the next several months, as Sly continued to flush out the story he kept coming back to theme of redemption and the need to reveal the emotional core of each character.
He wanted to explore the pathos of living life on the precipice by exposing their fears and weaknesses. But Stallone also was keenly aware that as a writer and director he was entering uncharted territory with this script.
He didn’t have a known entity like a Rambo or Rocky character to draw upon, therefore the mythology of The Expendables had to build from the ground up.
He was also writing for an ensemble cast, the likes, which has rarely been captured on film. On top of it all, his role of Barney Ross, was both physically and emotionally challenging.
Producer Avi Lerner saw the making of The Expendables as yet another formidable challenge in a career defined by them. "Sly is a risk-taker and he always has been," says Lerner.
"The first Rocky was a risk for him. So was the first Rambo. And now, to create a new character, to get into the physical condition he’s in, to direct and handle this amazing cast and difficult locations; they're all risks.
"His career is full of taking risks and that's what makes him such an icon. He's not afraid."
The Expendables is released 18th August.
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