Last Action Hero

Sly Stallone's latest action extravaganza, The Expendables, is a hail and farewell to action stars. He specifically carved out roles for all the major 80's Big Gun Guys. The buzz is all about the scene featuring the Planet Hollywood founders: Stallone, Bruce Willis, and Ahnold Schwarzenneger. Supposedly, it's just one scene with the Governator -- and of course, it's already in the trailers. (Way to go, marketers...) The story goes that Stallone personally offered roles to Jean Claude Van Damme and Wesley Snipes, but they turned him down...

(What were you thinking JCVD? Were you busy with a Period piece? A Comedy of Manners? Jeez Louise...)

He manages to pick up some impressive 90's and even 00's action heroes too. Jet Li is in the cast (as the Asian hand-to-hand expert... go figure), and Jason Statham nimbly steps from cult action to A-List as Stallone's right hand man. Getting a chance to beat the crap out of Stallone is Stone Cold Steve Austin. And Randy Couture also makes an appearance too.

Buffy alumna Charisma Carpenter makes a brief return from obscurity -- yes, a SyFy Channel film and work on the Legend of the Seeker TV series qualifies as obscurity -- as Jason Statham's gf.

Now, if all of this is beginning to sound like the most sensational, can't miss movie of the Summer, it sounds that way in Hollywood too. They're already talking not just sequel, but franchise. So maybe JCVD, Wesley, and even the alleged tantric sex-fiend Steven Seagal still have their shot. but you'd better hurry, Stallone's not getting any younger...