Simon West Will Direct 'The Expendables 2'

Briefly: I know there are people who really like the films of Simon West (Con Air, Tomb Raider, The Mechanic) and I expect that audience will be thrilled that he is directing the sequel to The Expendables. Will he do a better job than Sylvester Stallone did with the original? Hard to say; two out of Sly's last three films have been either genuinely good (Rocky Balboa) or a lot of fun (Rambo) so he's probably got another good one in him. But The Expendables, a purely by the numbers exercise, sure wasn't it.

So let Simon West have a crack at the sequel that will reunite Sly, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Mickey Rourke, Terry Crews and possibly Bruce Willis, with new participants very likely. (There will probably be a new female lead, playing the daughter of Mickey Rourke's character.) David Agosto and Ken Kaufman are writing this one, and I'm hoping they've come up with material to really match the testosterone level of the cast. The Expendables 2 will release on August 17, 2012. [Deadline]