Did John Travolta lose out on The Expendables 2? (Photo Credit – Instagram)
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Yes, That was almost the reality, folks, before John Travolta missed his shot at joining the most bro-tastic crew in Hollywood. Back in 2011, the Expendables 2 rumor mill was buzzing. One name cropped up – Travolta. David Varod, CEO of NU Boyana, casually dropped the bombshell in an interview with Novinite.
The sequel, set to shoot in Bulgaria, was already lined up with a roster that included legends like Stallone, Statham, and Die Hard’s Bruce Willis. And then, just when you thought it couldn’t get any better—BOOM—Travolta was supposedly in the mix. It was supposed to be a reunion of every action icon you could imagine. Except… it never happened.
While the idea of Travolta joining the Expendables squad was a fan’s fantasy, it didn’t play out that way. Why? Well, maybe it was the stars just not aligning (pun totally intended). Travolta, coming off From Paris with Love and Old Dogs, might’ve been looking to mix things up. He wasn’t exactly the breakneck-speed-action-hero type that The Expendables traditionally leaned into. But let’s be real—can you imagine Travolta showing up in the midst of a blood-fueled shootout, cracking wise and tossing around grenades? Now that’s a hardcore remix.
In an interview, Varod had already teased that the sequel was gunning for a full-on action overload—“we’re going for all the marbles this time” (thanks, Willis) and adding as many muscle-bound stars as possible. The rumor mill started churning out names like Jean-Claude Van Damme, Chuck Norris, and, of course, Travolta. A lot of fans probably thought, “Now, that’s what we call a throwback to the glory days.” But, alas, no Travolta.
Let’s be real: Travolta wasn’t just an action star. He was the cool guy who could kick ass and still dance his way through Grease. He was charm and chaos rolled into one. Could you imagine him facing off against Sly? Oh, the banter would’ve been next-level. Think Broken Arrow meets Pulp Fiction in an explosion-fueled action flick. Fans of his Face/Off persona would’ve been all-in. Who wouldn’t want to see him go toe-to-toe with Stallone, cracking jokes while dishing out some epic one-liners? Yeah, that would’ve been gold.
Of course, reality kicked in, and Travolta was a no-show. Was it scheduling issues? A shift in his career path? Or did he just want to leave the Expendables chaos to the big boys of action? Either way, the sequel kept its focus on the likes of Van Damme, Willis, and Schwarzenegger, who all brought the heat. Schwarzenegger may have only made a cameo in the first film, but in the sequel, he came back full throttle—one-liners included. The Expendables 2 was still jam-packed with action legends, but that Travolta-shaped hole in the lineup left fans wondering: what if?
Let’s take a minute. What if John Travolta had joined the squad? Could he have matched the muscle of the likes of Chuck Norris? Or would his cool guy demeanor have stood out in an odd way among all the grizzly action stars? It’s a fun question to ask, but the Expendables 2 forged ahead without him. They got their crazed action, absurd explosions, and nostalgic heroes… but with Travolta, it could’ve been a whole new ballgame.
At the end of the day, The Expendables 2 is still an action-packed nostalgia trip, but Travolta? Well, he’s still waiting for his turn to throw down with the best of them. Who knows? Maybe one day, we’ll get to see him in that badass role after all.
