The Expenda-Belles?

Female Version of Expendables In The Works

There are discussions being had all over Hollywood about The Expendables franchise right now, with the opening of the sequel and the talks of a third movie already in progress, it’s all the big wigs can talk about. That leads us to the talks of an all female version of The Expendables even being thrown around. Expendables 2 director Simon West said "I like the idea of the Expenda-Belles where it's seven or eight women mercenaries.” There is even a producer, Adi Shnkar, who is already in talks with some of Hollywood’s leading ladies and would also be willing to fund the project. Since the producer and money is already in place then it’s a given that the movie will be made, right? (Not even close.) Well, made or not what better time to give my opinion on who should be the seven or eight female mercenaries they will cast.

Angelina Jolie

Expendable Comparison: Sylvester Stallone

Action Experience: Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Wanted, Kung Fu Panda(Kidding!)   

How about Angelina Jolie as the leader of a band of mercenaries? Yes, please. Her combination of action and attitude as Lara Croft made her a household name and when most people think of women who could be in the female Expendables, Jolie is usually the first name brought up.

Kate Beckinsale

Expendable Comparison: Jason Statham

Action Experience: Underworld, Van Helsing, Underworld: Evolution, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, Underworld: Awakening, Total Recall (2012)

Statham’s character in The Expendables franchise is a blades specialist, and after all of her time chopping up vampires in Underworld you would expect her to fit into that role pretty easily.

Michelle Yeoh  

Expendable Comparison: Jet Li

Action Experience: Dynamite Fighters, Supercop, Butterfly and Sword, The Heroic Trio, Supercop 2, Tai Chi Master, Wing Chun, Tomorrow Never Dies, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Fearless, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Reign of Assassins 

Seeing as how Li’s character is known as the martial artist, it is an easy choice to go with Michelle Yeoh as the female version. She is not only one a former bond girl, she has been in some of the most acclaimed kung-fu movies in the 20^th century.

Gina Carano

Expendable Comparison:  Randy Couture

Action Experience: Blood and Bone, Haywire, The Fast and the Furious 6 

Carano is the easy choice to take over for Randy Couture in a few ways. One, neither are veterans in the action movie world, two they are both athletic enough to hold their own and they both have some great knockouts in MMA. Did I mention she was an American Gladiator. (The newer version, not the original.) 

Michelle Rodriguez

Expendable Comparison: Terry Crews

Action Experience: Girlfight, The Fast and the Furious, Resident Evil, S.W.A.T., BloodRayne, Fast & Furious, Avatar, Machete, Resident Evil: Retribution, Machete Kills, The Fast and the Furious 6 

Michelle Rodriguez as the weapons expert makes a whole lot of sense. She is always playing the rugged and tough woman in the action movies she shows up in. I could easily see her spit out one of the many catch phrases Terry Crews loves.

Sigourney Weaver  

Expendable Comparison: Arnold Schwarzenegger

Action Experience: Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, Alien: Resurrection Avatar 

Sigourney can easily play the older more experienced mercenary that helps the team with some intel about a mission and could even help them blow some shit up once and awhile. She could also fit nicely into the role Arnold plays as the leader of a rival mercenary group.

Uma Thurman

Expendable Comparison:  Bruce Willis

Action Experience: The Avengers, Kill Bill: Vol. 1, Kill Bill: Vol. 2 

Bruce Willis plays Church, the guy who gives the missions to the team. As a producer or director that had Uma Thurman on your cast you would probably want to use her more than Bruce was used in the first Expendables. If not I would love to see Uma dangle a possible mission over the heads of both Sigourney Weaver and Angelina Jolie.

Lucy Lawless

Expendable Comparison: Dolph Lundgren

Action Experience: Xena: Warrior Princess (TV)

I could easily imagine Lucy Lawless playing the mentally unstable veteran, of too many wars, that could lose it and kill everyone at any moment.

Linda Hamilton  

Expendable Comparison:  Mickey Rourke

Action Experience: Terminator 2: Judgment Day 

I imagine that if you want to fill the role of the mission coordinator that isn’t seen very much in the film you want someone who when they are in the film, they take over the scene. Linda Hamilton would be an absolutely great choice for that character in the opposite sex version of The Expendables.

Milla Jovovich  

Expendable Comparison:  Jean-Claude Van Damme

Action Experience: The Fifth Element, Resident Evil, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Resident Evil: Afterlife, The Three Musketeers (2012), Resident Evil: Retribution

You always need a bad guy in films like these, and if we are talking about an all female cast why not cast a female for the main baddie. Milla Jovovich is known for her role in the Resident Evil movies and has done her fair share of killing things that being a villain would be easy for her.

Katee Sackhoff

Expendable Comparison: Steve Austin

Action Experience: Battlestar Galactica (TV), Bionic Woman (TV), 24 (TV), The Chronicles of Riddick: Dead Man Stalking

If you need a female baddie you need female henchmen (henchwomen?) to protect that bad guy. Who better to be the muscle for the villains than Katee Sackhoff. Couldn’t you see her attacking Lucy Lawless with a knife or hand to hand brawling with Carano?