Why Was Jean-Claude Van Damme Deemed Expendable for 'The Expendables'?
by Mike Ryan · August 13, 2010 In "The Expendables," Sylvester Stallone's latest guns-blazing return to the multiplex, the actor/director assembled a dream team of action stars to assist him with the very important work of blowing up everything in sight. Most notably, he recruited onetime big-screen rivals like Bruce Willis , Arnold Schwarzenegger , and Dolph Lundgren for his latest cinematic mission. An impressive collective of talent, to be sure, but the all-star roster of shoot-'em-up heroes has at least one glaring omission: Jean-Claude Van Damme . Whither the "Muscles from Brussels," star of "Hard Target," "Timecop," and "Universal Solider" ? Van Damme, it turns out, did get a call from Stallone to join his team of Expendables, but he wasn't thrilled with the pitch. He told TotalFilm , "Stallone gave me a part in his next movie. [He] said, 'You're gonna make lots of money.' I don't wa...