The Expendables 2's Jean Claude Van Damme Was Disappointed By The Original Final Fight
Sylvester Stallone has fronted two of the most iconic action franchises of all time, playing the boxing phenom Rocky Balboa and the brutal soldier John Rambo. He also jumpstarted another franchise late in his career when he took on the role of Barney Ross, leader of a band of mercenaries played by legendary action stars called "The Expendables," and "The Expendable 4" will arrive later this year.
While the first film featured Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and Eric Roberts, the sequel needed to up the ante. It did so by adding Chuck Norris to the cameo list and casting Jean Claude Van Damme as the villain. Of course, fans are used to seeing the Muscles from Brussels on the good side of the fight card, but his turn as the villainous Vilain turned out to be a bright spot in the sequel.
Van Damme, however, wasn't exactly happy with the original script. He told WENN that he had a significant problem with the final fight between him and Stallone, saying fans wanted to see them go toe to toe. In the interview, Van Damme reveals he was afraid of upsetting the "Rambo" actor but got him to change his mind about the final sequence.
He wrote Sly a letter but never used it
Jean Claude Van Damme recalls in the interview that the original fight had him attempting to flee in a helicopter until Sylvester Stallone's character throws a chain into the propeller and brings it down. The "Bloodsport" actor says that he complained to everyone except for Stallone that fans would rather see them fight mano a mano, eventually writing a letter to lay out his concerns. When he approached Stallone's trailer, however, he lost the letter and decided to talk to him.
"'Oh f**k it, I'm gonna tell him how I feel.' I say," the action star recalls. "'Stallone, I think people want to see Muhammad Ali against Frasier. It's a metaphor. Look at your arms; you're strong. We need to do a fight. I need to give you myself to punch and kick the s**t out of me, and hopefully, I will do some damage to you.'"
Anytime someone approaches their boss, a fair amount of fear and nervousness accompanies that, especially if that boss is one of the most iconic people in the action industry. Stallone, however, responded well to Van Damme's recommendation.
"He said, 'I tell you what. Go and design the fight!'" Vanne Damme said. "Later, I look all over the place for the letter. It was stuck to my pocket!"
The final fight was very Jean Claude Van Damme
From the moment fans got their first good look at Jean Claude Van Damme portraying Frank Dux in "Bloodsport," they knew they had the next big thing in action movies. He followed in the footsteps of Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris, taking his real-life combat talents to the screen to give fans high-flying kicks and brutal hand-to-hand showdowns with villains.
Casting him as the villain in a film across from other iconic action stars and then having him flee would have been a waste. Luckily, Sylvester Stallone listened to Van Damme.
Now, Vilain taunts Ross to drop his weapons and fight him. Ross does just this, engaging in a brutal and unrealistic rumble that includes many of Van Damme's classic maneuvers, like his signature roundhouse kick. In the end, "Expendables 2" beat out the other two films in the franchise with both critics and fans, scoring a 67% on Rotten Tomatoes, and seeing Van Damme return to form likely gave it a boost above the rest.