Jean Claude Van Damme He was one of the actors who Sylvester Stallone personally offered a role for ‘The mercenaries’the first installment of this action movie saga that was released in 2010. Unfortunately, Van Damme He rejected the proposal because he considered that His character was flat and had no development.. The character she would have played was Gunner Jensena role that ultimately went to Dolph LundgrenJCVD’s “enemy” in ‘Universal Soldier’.
Van Damme would have been Gunner Jensen in ‘The Expendables 1’ but he turned down the role and it went to Dolph Lundgren
The first ‘The Expendables’ film was born from Sylvester Stallone’s desire to bring together many of the action movie stars from the 90s and 2000s in the same feature film. Actors of the caliber of Arnold SchwarzeneggerOwn Stallone, Bruce Willis, Jet Lieither Jason Statham There were several of the actors selected to participate in this project. But Stallone did not want to miss the opportunity to have Jean-Claude Van Dammeanother important name in the genre during the 90s.
As Van Damme himself confirmed in an interview with The Guardian in 2012, the ‘Rocky’ actor spoke with him in person to offer him a role in this film. His character was Gunner Jensenbut JCVD rejected this offer —although he later regretted it—because he considered that His character was “flat and undeveloped”. Stallone came to hint that Van Damme turned down the role because he had to lose a fight against Jet Lisomething that the Belgian later flatly denied.
Ironically, the character of Jensen is probably the one further development has during the first ‘The Expendables’. He begins the film as part of the group of heroes, but in the face of his erratic attitude and substance abuse problem, Barney Ross (Stallone) decides to fire him. Consumed by resentment, Jensen decides to contact the villains to join their ranks. and hunt down his former comrades, although a defeat at the hands of Yang (Li) and the intervention of Ross They make him reconsider and rejoin the main group.
Once Van Damme turned down the role of Jensen, this one went to Dolph Lundgren, who also had notable roles in action films such as ‘Rocky IV’ (1985) also with Stallone, ‘Masters of the Universe’ (1987), ‘Red Scorpion’ (1988) or ‘Universal Soldier’ (1992). What even today It is unknown whether Jensen’s arc was a reference to Van Damme’s real life.since the Belgian had substance abuse problems, something recognized by himself and other of his co-stars in projects in which they have coincided. It is also unknown what would have happened if he had acceptedGiven the It is not known if Stallone had Dolph Lundgren in mind for the project from the beginning..
During the red carpet of ‘The Mercenaries’, Stallone even called Van Damme on the phoneand told him in a jovial tone “I told you!”referring to that turning down the role of Jensen was missing a great opportunitysomething with which the Belgian agreed, immediately expressing his repentance.
Jean-Claude Van Damme would return to the saga in ‘The Expendables 2’
Sylvester Stallone hired Van Damme again for the sequel, and the Belgian accepted. This way, Jean-Claude Van Damme landed the role of the main villain in ‘The Expendables 2’ (2012) but to avoid crossing paths with Steven Seagalwith whom he had a rivalry since the 90s, gave Sylvester Stallone the status of that Seagal was not present in this second movie. Stallone accepted this condition, and JCVD was Jean Vilain in this second installment of the saga.
Vilain He was the leader of a terrorist organization known as Sangs that sought to obtain military-grade plutonium to terrorize the rest of the world, although The Mercenaries stopped him. Although the character died at the end of the moviethis has not prevented Van Damme from having ideas for return in future installments as a twin brother of this villain called Claude Vilainalthough he said that “Whether Claude is good or bad is something Stallone would have to decide.”.
This a priori idea so crazy It is not only a reference to Jean-Claude Van Damme’s own stage namebut It is also a nod to his own filmographygiven that He has played twin brothers, doubles, clones and the like. on at least five occasions.
