Nicolas Cage Was Set To Bring Mayhem To Expendables 2(Photo Credit –Facebook)
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There was almost a version of The Expendables 2 where Nicolas Cage showed up mid-firefight, face contorted, voice cracking, and absolutely stealing the scene. It didn’t happen, and the reason… a scheduling mess that stopped the madness before it began.
Back in 2012, The Expendables 2 was gearing up to one-up its predecessor by cranking the testosterone to eleven. Stallone had already roped in Jean-Claude Van Damme, Chuck Norris, and a returning crew of action icons. But behind the scenes, there were talks of adding Cage and John Travolta to the growing bicep brigade. Stallone himself mentioned that timing was the issue – coordinating everyone’s availability with the film’s Bulgarian shooting schedule proved impossible.
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So while fans got plenty of roundhouse kicks and helicopter rescues, they missed out on Cage going full Face/Off. And the Cage buzz didn’t stop there.
Nicolas Cage Was Teased for Expendables 3 But Never Pulled the Trigger
As Expendables 2 hit theaters, fresh rumors started flying that Cage was locked for The Expendables 3. It made sense. He had the résumé (Con Air, The Rock, Face/Off), the cult following, and the sheer wild-card energy the franchise thrives on. Even Lionsgate’s CEO hinted Cage was in the mix.
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But Cage himself wasn’t so sure. In a 2013 chat with Den of Geek, he cleared the air:
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“I have not had any formal discussions about [Expendables 3]. I’m not in Kick-Ass 2, and I don’t think I’m in Expendables 3. And I like those guys [Sylvester Stallone, etc.], but I would say it would be highly unlikely that I’d be in that movie.”
So either the studio was getting ahead of itself, or the talks never left the casual stage. Either way, Cage never showed up in Expendables 3. No deranged merc, no unhinged monologue, no screaming shootout.
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And let’s be honest, he would’ve fit right in. The franchise has always leaned into over-the-top chaos, and no one does theatrical chaos quite like Nicolas Cage. A Cage-Stallone team-up might’ve been a glorious trainwreck, or pure gold. Either way, we’ll never know.
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Instead, Cage stayed on the sidelines. But his near-casting remains one of the biggest “what ifs” in Expendables history.
