His villain met a pretty definitive end in the second film, but here's how Jean-Claude Van Damme thinks he should return in The Expendables 4. When The Expendables was first announced, it was sold as a team-up between Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li and Jason Statham, but Stallone - who also directed - soon pulled in more action icons like Dolph Lundgren, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger, making it a must-see. While the movie didn't receive great reviews, it was a sizable hit and a franchise was born.
The Expendables 2 followed in 2012 - which added roles for Chuck Norris and Scott Adkins' villain - while The Expendables 3 arrived in 2014. The latter entry tried to appeal to a broader audience and dropped the rating to PG-13. This experiment largely backfired in terms of reviews and box-office, with even Stallone admitting it didn't work. A fourth movie has been in and out of development for years, but while it always threatens to happen, it has yet to receive a greenlight.
Easily the best villain of the series was The Expendables 2's Jean Vilain, played by Jean-Claude Van Damme. The role permitted Van Damme to chew the scenery with glee, and he's - to date - the only bad guy to actually kill one of the titular mercenaries. His murder of Liam Hemsworth's Billy scores Vilain the wrath of Sylvester Stallone's Expendables leader Barney, and the two engage in a vicious battle in the finale. Barney emerges victorious and even cuts off Vilain's head to seal the deal. That would seem to rule Van Damme out of The Expendables 4, but the actor has a logical idea for his return.
In 2014, Jean-Claude Van Damme responded to a question from the new defunct fansite Expendables Premiere (via Empire) about the possibility of returning as Jean's twin Claude Vilain in a sequel. Van Damme replied "He may even create a stronger character than Claude Vilain, the twin brother of Jean Vilain. Some fans ask me if the next Vilain - if there is a next - is going to be a good guy or a bad guy," before going on to state he'd leave his potential allegiance up for Stallone to decide.
While bringing in a dead character's twin is the oldest trick in the book when it comes to sequels, for Jean-Claude Van Damme, it's perfect. He's famous for playing twins or duplicates in the likes of Double Impact, Maximum Risk or Replicant, so having Claude Vilain appear in The Expendables 4 could totally work. It would also be nice to see Van Damme work with the title team this time around, instead of playing the villain role again. That said, time will tell if The Expendables 4 even happens - let alone if Van Damme will be the main Vilain again.
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September 26, 2021 at 01:30AM
