Next year is shaping up to be a pretty gigantic year for movies. Between Nolan’s ultimate film in the Dark Knight saga, Peter Jackson returning to the Shire with The Hobbit, and the Marvel superfilm The Avengers. One film not on that list, but sure to please the fans is the sequel to Sylvester Stallone’s action movie love letter, The Expendables.

The new film, set to have almost twice as many famous faces in the action genre, is gearing up to have a pretty big marketing campaign behind it, as the last film grossed over $274 million worldwide. This time, we can expect to see names like Chuck Norris, Jean Claude Van Damme, and chinese actress Yu Nan join the cast. Here’s the synopsis.

The Expendables are back and this time it’s personal…The team is reunited when Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) enlists the Expendables to take on a seemingly simple job. The task looks like an easy paycheck for Barney and his band of old-school mercenaries. But when things go wrong and one of their own is viciously killed, the Expendables are compelled to seek revenge in hostile territory where the odds are stacked against them.

Hell-bent on payback, the crew cuts a swath of destruction through opposing forces, wreaking havoc and shutting down an unexpected threat in the nick of time — six pounds of weapons-grade plutonium; enough to change the balance of power in the world. But that’s nothing compared to the justice they serve against the villainous adversary who savagely murdered their brother. That is done the Expendables way…

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If there’s one thing you can say about action star and all around badass Jason Statham it’s that he’s consistant. In almost every movie he does, he ends up playing pretty much the same character.

Not that we’re complaining. He does it pretty well and is usually, if not supremely talented acting-wise, at least fun to watch. This leads us to the trailer for his latest upcoming action extravaganza Safe.

Written and Directed by Boaz Yakin, who’s previous credits include Fresh and Remember the Titans, Safe features Statham as a former elite agent protecting Mei (Catherine Chan), a 12-year-old numerical prodigy who has in her head a code the Triads, Russian Mafia and corrupt cops are determined to get.

As you would expect, the trailer features mostly what Statham fans are expecting: action. It also gives us a bit of insight into the story and who we can expect in the film opposite the star. And yes, Statham beats up and kills several people during the trailer. No surprise there.

Check out the trailer after the jump. Safe, which in addition to Statham features Anson Mount, Chris Sarandon and James Hong, opens on March 2, 2012.

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Now that just about every action hero from Jean-Claude Van Damme to Chuck Norris has been signed to punch and kick alongside Stallone in The Expendables 2, we can now see that some of the seasoned veterans are giving some screen time to the young up-and-comers as Knowing star Liam Hemsworth (brother of Thor, Chris), has joined the cast.

Liam, who is seeing nothing but hoge projects coming up, will have a pretty juicy part alongside some of the international actions stars joining in the fun. Here’s the report from Variety.

“The Hunger Games” star Liam Hemsworth has just been cast alongside Sylvester Stallone in Millennium Films’ action extravaganza, which will be released by Lionsgate.

Simon West is directing the star-studded sequel, which finds Stallone returning as team leader Barney Ross.

He’s expected to be joined by past co-stars Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews and Randy Couture. Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger are also back to expand on their cameos from the first film. Along with Hemsworth, other newcomers to the franchise include Jean-Claude Van Damme and Chuck Norris

According to reports, the film is set to start shooting next month, and will have an even bigger cast than we anticipated, with Stallone dropping names like Michael Beihn and Nicolas Cage in at the last minute.

All we know is that the film will be even bigger and more explosion-packed when it hits theaters next year.

For those of you going through action movie withdrawal, fear not, as Sylvester Stallone’s Expendables are coming back for a second round with an even more star-studded cast.

After the announcement yesterday that Chuck Norris and Jean Claude Van Damme would be joining the film, we have received awe- worthy news that both Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis will have significantly expanded roles in the sequel.

Millennium Films has finally begun confirming which rumored stars will actually be showing up in the action-packed blockbuster, which will be directed by Simon (Con Air) West. An official cast list for The Expendables has made its way online, with the obvious returning stars Jason Statham, Jet Li, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Dolph Lundgren and Mickey Rourke, who are all returning as part of Stallone’s mercenary crew.

Along with Jean Claude Van Damme and Chuck Norris, Scott Adkins was also confirmed for the film.  It is rumored that these are not the only names that will pop up in the coming months.

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Not to be confused with the James Caan film of the mid-seventies called The Killer Elite, this film, which is just called Killer Elite, features Jason Statham and Clive Owen going toe to toe trying to see who the best killer is. Along for the ride are Robert De Niro as Statham’s mentor and master assassin in his own right and Chuck’s Yvonne Strahovski who’s also pretty killer in her own way.

Now, we’ve got some pics and a trailer for the film to share with you today. In the trailer we get a good idea of the rivalry that’s going to be the centerpiece of the film and also the requisite explosions, running, shooting and even a brief glimpse of Yvonne Strahovski in a bikini. Don’t worry, I’m sure she also manages to kick some ass in the film and not just show some.

The film is based on a true story and is “the action-packed account of an ex-special ops agent (Statham) who is lured out of retirement to rescue his mentor (De Niro). To make the rescue, he must complete a near-impossible mission of killing three tough-as-nails assassins with a cunning leader (Owen).”

Click through for the trailer and all the pics. Killer Elite hits theaters on September 23rd.

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Seeking to change its reputation as HBO’s red-headed stepchild where softcore movies go to die, Cinemax is getting into the original programming biz in a big way. After announcing a 10-part action series called Strike Back last month, the pay cable network has now made a deal for a new TV series based on Luc Besson’s Transporter movies.

The channel has committed to 12 episodes of the action drama, produced by French company Atlantique and executive produced by Besson. Much like the films, the Transporter TV series will center on professional transporter Frank Martin, played in the movies by Jason Statham.

Operating in a seedy underworld of dangerous criminals and desperate players, Martin can always be counted on to get the job done — discreetly. He has three rules: Never change the deal, no names and never open the package.

The Transporter films were fun and Statham really made the character his own. Plus, he does know how to kick some serious ass. It remains to be seen who will take on the role in the series but rest assured, whoever it is has some big shoes (and a big car) to fill.

I don’t know how many of you remember movies from the early 1970s, or were even alive in the 1970s, but the period from 1969 to 1975 witnessed a wealth of gritty, nihilistic B-movie dramas.  The protagonists were often shady anti-heroes involved in some violent pursuit either above or below the law.

Easy Rider in 1969 probably spawned the genre (or Bonnie and Clyde in 1967), and was shortly followed by Dirty Harry (1971), Badlands (1973), Death Wish (1974), and my personal favorite, Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry (1974), among many others.  The genre died out about the time Smokey and the Bandit arrived in 1977, when a smirking Burt Reynolds and an over-the-top Jackie Gleason turned it into a southern-fried mockery.

This type of film was personified by Charles Bronson, the lead in Death Wish, who typified the craggy, mumbling, speak-little-but-carry-a-big-Magnum character that was often at the center of these movies.  Bronson, like Clint Eastwood, was never very likeable in his films, but he had an air of cold-blooded ruthlessness that made you cheer for him anyway, as the baddies he dispatched were always much more sinister (but much less charismatic) than he was.

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2010 may have been the year of the gun-toting action flick, but that doesn’t mean 2011 doesn’t get a little spillover. Expendables star Jason Statham is doing what he does best: shooting people while looking angry. This time, 3:10 To Yuma‘s Ben Foster joins in the fun as Statham’s would-be replacement. Here’s the synopsis:

Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham) is a ‘mechanic’ – an elite assassin with a strict code and unique talent for cleanly eliminating targets. It’s a job that requires professional perfection and total detachment, and Bishop is the best in the business. But when his mentor and close friend Harry (Donald Sutherland) is murdered, Bishop is anything but detached.

His next assignment is self-imposed – he wants those responsible dead. His mission grows complicated when Harry’s son Steve (Ben Foster) approaches him with the same vengeful goal and a determination to learn Bishop’s trade. Bishop has always acted alone but he can’t turn his back on Harry’s son. A methodical hit man takes an impulsive student deep into his world and a deadly partnership is born. But while in pursuit of their ultimate mark, deceptions threaten to surface and those hired to fix problems become problems themselves.

Enough drama to justify some kick-ass gun fights? We think so as the newest red band trailer shows some of the films less family-friendly scenes. Check it out after the jump, and catch The Mechanic in theaters on January 28th.

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Based on the original film featuring Charles Bronson and Jan Michael Vincent, this new take on The Mechanic features Jason Statham as Arthur Bishop and Ben Foster as Steve — a master assassin and his apprentice. When his mentor and close friend Harry (Donald Sutherland) is murdered, Bishop’s mission is clear: He wants those responsible dead.

His mission is complicated when Harry’s son Steve approaches him with the same vengeful goal and a determination to learn Bishop’s trade. Bishop has always acted alone but he can’t turn his back on Harry’s son. So, the two decide to work together and, of course, stuff starts to blow up.

To get you in the mood for the film we’ve got a new clip from it to share with you today. In it we get a look at the characters and how they are going to deal with on of the people who may, or may not, have had a hand in Harry’s death. Check out the clip after the jump.

The Mechanic, featuring Jason Statham, Ben Foster, Tony Goldwyn and Donald Sutherland, hits theaters on January 28.

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This week on The Flickcast your favorite hosts take on some new and recurring topics to entertain, inform and otherwise keep you interested. . . at least for a little while. Some of the topics covered today include the brand new Green Lantern trailer, more on The Walking Dead, Hulu Plus price drops, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows leaked footage, trailers for The Mechanic,  Red Riding Hood, Teen Wolf, Cowboys Vs. Aliens, Marvel’s Hulk TV series and more.

In addition, the boys also made new picks this week for your viewing, listening or reading pleasure. Matt picked the animated series Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes while Chris picked the first person shooter game Medal of Honor.

As always, if you have comments, questions, critiques, offers of sponsorship or whatever, feel free to hit us up in the comments, on Twitter, at Facebook and MySpace or via email.

Based on the original film featuring Charles Bronson and Jan Michael Vincent, this new take on The Mechanic features Jason Statem and Ben Foster as a master assassin and his apprentice. They come together to avenge the death of Foster’s character’s father and in so doing Statham teaches him the ropes.

To get you in the mood for the remake we’ve got the first trailer for the film to share with you today. In it you get a good look at the two leads and quite a bit about the story. Even though it seems like a simple revenge thriller, I hope it ends up being more than that.

The original was such a cool movie when the apprentice finally turns on his master and they have to fight it out using not just their skills but their brains as well. If you haven’t watched it, go check it out. As for this version, we’ll just have to wait and see if it rises to the level of the original. My guess is it probably won’t.

However, that doesn’t mean it won’t be a fun action film in its own right. We’ll find out when the film hits theaters on January 28, 2011. Meantime, click on through to check out the trailer.

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Jason Statham either has a very specific goal in mind when picking films, or he really just doesn’t care. A lesser action star would feel the need to branch out into kid-friendly flicks to up his revenue stream and become more of a household name (*cough* Vin Diesel *cough*) but Statham takes a different approach.

Between the Crank films, the Transporter films, and anything done with Jet Li or Guy Ritchie, Statham has managed to keep his “badass quota” to a maximum level. The same holds with the trailer for his newest film, Blitz.

With a screenplay from Moon’s Nathan Parker, Blitz tells the story of a cop put on the case of a serial killer who makes it a point to kill police officers. You’ll definitely get the British crime side of Statham over the high-action martial arts in this film.

The very first trailer for the flick has surfaced, which you can check out after the jump. Be sure to catch Blitz in select theaters worldwide starting in February of 2011.

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