Jean-Claude Van Damme Turned Down "The Expendables" for This?

[GreenScar]

I think they're about 15 years late on this one:

Ever since Sylvester Stallone announced his new movie "The Expendables," fans have been closely following his casting choices for this "tough guy homecoming." Stallone has already signed Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundgren, Jason Statham, Jet Li and Arnold Schwarzenegger, but his attempt at getting Jean-Claude Van Damme went nowhere.

Van Damme created a comeback for himself with "JCVD" and felt that taking a role in "The Expendables" was a wrong move for his career. Now, a new production company (Flagship Films) has announced that their first movie will be "Weapon," which will unite Van Damme with Steven Seagal for their own "tough guy homecoming."

In "Weapon," Jack Conway (Seagal) and Derek Chase (Van Damme) are the two best assassins in the world — but unknown to each other. While Conway is a master sharpshooter, Chase is equally skilled with a knife. These two rival assassins form an uneasy alliance to take down the head of a drug cartel, which is backed by the DEA.

Principal photography is set to begin in July around New Mexico and Vancouver. A director will be announced in the next several weeks.

With any luck, "Weapon" will be released at the same time as "The Expendables," which is in April of next year. "Weapon," however, will likely go straight to DVD.