--- title: The Expendables: A Dream Cast for the Expendabelles Spinoff description: The 15 women—including Sigourney Weaver—who can turn the female version of the summer's most overstuffed action film into another huge hit. canonical: https://time.com/3086763/expendabelles-cast-expendables-spinoff/ author: Eric Dodds article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-08-07T14:57:33.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:07:56.707Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: The Expendables: A Dream Cast for the Expendabelles Spinoff og:description: Here are the 15 women who can turn the female version of the summer's most overstuffed action franchise into another huge hit og:url: https://time.com/3086763/expendabelles-cast-expendables-spinoff/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Expendables: A Dream Cast for the Expendabelles Spinoff twitter:description: Here are the 15 women who can turn the female version of the summer's most overstuffed action franchise into another huge hit twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # _The Expendabelles_: Dream-Casting the Upcoming _Expendables_ Spin-Off by [Eric Dodds](https://time.com/author/eric-dodds/) ## Eric Dodds Aug 7, 2014 2:57 PM UTC by [Eric Dodds](https://time.com/author/eric-dodds/) ## Eric Dodds Aug 7, 2014 2:57 PM UTC  20th Century Fox **It’s happening, so here are the 15 women—including Sigourney Weaver and Zoe Saldana—who can turn the female version of the summer’s most overstuffed action franchise into another huge hit.** This shouldn’t come as any particular surprise, but _The Expendabelles_ is a thing that is going to happen. The first two _Expendables_ films have been hits, raking in a combined $575 million at the global box office. Action films with female leads have proven [increasingly successful at the box office](http://time.com/3075927/marvel-kevin-feige-guardians-of-the-galaxy-black-widow/) (the Scarlet Johansson-led _Lucy_ recently bested the Dwayne Johnson-starring _Hercules_ when both premiered on the same weekend), and frankly, any fun idea worth having is one worth running into the ground. With _The Expendables 3_ set to hit theaters on Aug. 15, producer Avi Lerner [announced earlier this week](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sylvester-stallone-wants-sigourney-weaver-723193) that _The Expendabelles_ was a go, and it’ll hit theaters in the not-so-distant future: “We’re going to do it at the beginning of next year,” he said. “We are writing the final lines of the script \[and\] we’ve got lots of ideas about who is going to be in it.” Funny, because we’ve also got lots of ideas about who _should_ be in it. Sylvester Stallone — who has written, produced and starred in all three _Expendables_ films — already r[eportedly revealed his top choice](http://screenrant.com/expendabelles-movie-sigourney-weaver/): _Alien_ star Sigourney Weaver, who would play his wife. Of course, because this is an Expendables spinoff, Weaver would represent roughly 1% of the assuredly star-studded cast, so we’re taking the onus on ourselves to fill out the rest of it. A quick disclaimer: As nice as it would be to have arguably the two biggest female action stars in the industry (Johansson and Angelina Jolie) headlining _The Expendabelles_, they’re still a little too big at the moment for the movie. Ditto Meryl Streep, but rest assured that all three would be right at the top of our list for the inevitable sequels. Even without those draws, this group of 15 women should have no trouble matching up with (or in all likelihood, exceeding) their _Expendables_ counterparts. ### Sigourney Weaver  ALIENS, Sigourney Weaver, 1986, TM and Copyright (c)20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved. 20th Century Fox **Credentials**: _Alien_, _Ghostbusters_, _Galaxy Quest_, _Avatar_ **Skills**: Weaver is, by most accounts, the original female sci-fi hero. She had a star-making turn in 1979’s _Alien_, was nominated for an Oscar for its 1987 sequel and continued her space success with the tongue-in-cheek _Galaxy Quest_ and James Cameron’s _Avatar_. Plus Sly Stallone already has his sights set on her for _The Expendabelles_ (playing his wife), so this one seems like a no-brainer. **_Expendables_** **Counterpart:** Sly Stallone, apparently. ### Uma Thurman  KILL BILL, Uma Thurman, 2003, (c) Miramax Miramax **Credentials**: _Kill Bill Vol.1_ & _2_, _Pulp Fiction_ **Skills**: Only the star of perhaps the greatest vengeance saga in modern movie history. Pretty good with a sword. **_Expendables_** **Counterpart:** Jason Statham. Just feels right. ### Zoe Saldana  GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, Zoe Saldana, 2014\. ph: Jay Maidment/©Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Marvel/Disney **Credentials**: _Star Trek,_ _Avatar_, _Columbiana_, _Takers_, _Guardians of the Galaxy_ **Skills**: Saldana now has three major sci-fi action film franchises to her name, so she may be a little busy for the foreseeable future. On the other hand, she may be looking to balance those space-centric movies with one a little more earthbound (_The Expendabelles_ will be located on Earth, yes?). **_Expendables_** **Counterpart:** Harrison Ford. Just a couple folks best known for their sci-fi films. ### Linda Hamilton  TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY, Linda Hamilton, 1991\. ©TriStar Pictures TriStar Pictures **Credentials**: _Terminator_, _Terminator 2: Judgement Day_ **Skills**: See above. **_Expendables_** **Counterpart:** Arnold Schwarzenegger. Duh. ### Michelle Rodriguez  Universal **Credentials**: The _Fast & Furious_ movies (well, most of them), _S.W.A.T._, _Avatar_, _Machete_ **Skills**: This sounds improbable, but Rodriguez is the biggest female action star of the 21st century. Not quite sure how it happened, but it’s true. And seeing as we’re getting at least three more _Fast & Furious_ movies, it’s not a title she’s likely to relinquish any time soon. **_Expendables_** **Counterpart:** How has Vin Diesel not been in an Expendables movie? ### Pam Grier  FOXY BROWN, Pam Grier, 1974 American International Pictures **Credentials**: _Foxy Brown_, _Above the Law_, _Jackie Brown_ **Skills**: A staple of the 1970s blaxpoitation film, Grier’s best known role was as the titular Foxy Brown in _Foxy Brown_, but followed it up with prime parts in _Above the Law_ and as the eponymous character in _Jackie Brown_. Any cast of female action stars would be incomplete without Grier. **_Expendables_** **Counterpart:** Chuck Norris. Their action star days are slightly behind them, but they’re still giants of the genre. ### Lucy Lawless  1997 Lucy Lawless Stars In The Show "Xena" (Photo By Getty Images) Getty Images **Credentials**: _Xena: Warrior Princess_, _Battlestar Galactica_, _Spartacus: War of the Damned_, _Parks & Recreation_ **Skills**: Xena is one of the best-known action heroes — male or female — of all time, so Lawless is an obvious choice for this crew. She followed up that iconic performance with roles on action-heavy shows _Battlestar Galactica_ and _Spartacus_. Plus she regularly goes toe-to-toe with supreme man Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) on _Parks & Rec_, more than holding her own. **_Expendables_** **Counterpart:** Not Nick Offerman, unfortunately. ### Kate Beckinsale  UNDERWORLD, Kate Beckinsale, 2003, (c) Screen Gems Screen Gems **Credentials**: The _Underworld_ movies, _Van Helsing_, _Total Recall_ **Skills**: They should let Beckinsale be a vampire in _The Expendabelles_ and not bother to explain it at all. She is an excellent vampire, especially when being a vampire mostly involves killing people (or vampires) and not having to do all the blood-sucking stuff. **_Expendables_** **Counterpart:** Wesley Snipes. The vampire bond is strong. ### Demi Moore  G.I. JANE, Demi Moore, 1997, © Buena Vista Buena Vista **Credentials**: _G.I. Jane_, _Charlie’s Angles: Full Throttle_ **Skills**: I mean, she played G.I. Jane. **_Expendables_** **Counterpart**: Bruce Willis, naturally. ### Carrie-Ann Moss  THE MATRIX RELOADED, Carrie-Anne Moss, 2003, (c) Warner Brothers Warner Bros. **Credentials**: The _Matrix_ movies **Skills**: Moss played Trinity in the _Matrix_ movies. She was also in _Memento_, which was awesome, but not really germane to the conversation. **_Expendables_** **Counterpart:** Don’t tell me Keanu wasn’t available for at least one of these. ### Lucy Liu  CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE, Lucy Liu, 2003, (c) Columbia Columbia **Credentials**: _Kill Bill, Vol. 1_, _Charlie’s Angels_, _Lucky Number Slevin_ **Skills**: Prior to Liu’s 2003 _Kill Bill_ and _Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle_ doubleheader, she was best known for her role on Fox’s _Ally McBeal_. After it, she became a staple of the action genre, scoring roles in _Slevin_, _Domino_ and _Man With the Iron Fists_. She might not be the biggest member of the group, but go back, watch _Kill Bill_ again and tell me she’s not the scariest. **_Expendables_** **Counterpart:** Antonio Banderas. Both have proven remarkably proficient with swords. ### Milla Jovovich  RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION, Milla Jovovich, 2012\. ph: Rafy/©Screen Gems Screen Gems **Credentials**: _Resident Evil_, _Ultraviolet_, _The Fifth Element_ **Skills**: _Ultraviolet_ was terrible, but Jovovich wasn’t the problem. She’s been kicking ass in the _Resident Evil_ quintilogy for the last 12 years after getting her action movie start in 1997’s _The Fifth Element_. _Resident Evil: The Final Chapter_ is slated for a 2016 release, which should give her plenty of time for _The Expendabelles_ and its inevitable sequels. **_Expendables_** **Counterpart:** Jean-Claude Van Damme. Action only. ### Gina Carano  FAST & FURIOUS 6, Gina Carano, 2013\. ph: Giles Keyte/©Universal Pictures Universal Pictures **Credentials**: _Haywire_, _Fast & Furious 6_ **Skills**: Carano is a former MMA standout who first made a name for herself in Stephen Soderbergh’s _Haywire_, in which she beats the everloving crap out of Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender and Ewan McGregor. That alone makes her worthy of the Expendabelles, but add in her role in _Fast & Furious 6_, and there’s really no way to leave her out. **_Expendables_** **Counterpart:** Randy Couture. Because MMA. ### Chloe Moretz  KICK-ASS, Chloe Moretz (left), 2010\. ph: Daniel Smith/©Lions Gate Lionsgate **Credentials**: _Kick-Ass_, _Kick-Ass 2_ **Skills**: She does, erm, kick a lot of ass in the _Kick-Ass_ movies. Like, a lot. Swears and everything too. Plus there’s got to be someone that kids under the age of 25 will recognize. **_Expendables_** **Counterpart:** Liam Hemsworth, unavoidably. ### Geena Davis  THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT, Geena Davis, Yvonne Zima, 1996, (c)New Line Cinema New Line Cinema **Credentials**: _The Long Kiss Goodnight_ **Skills**: Davis played Samantha Caine/Charly Baltimore in _The Long Kiss Goodnight_, better known as the greatest action hero — male or female — in movie history. You can disagree, but you’re wrong. Watch this movie immediately if you’ve not already done so. **_Expendables_** **Counterpart:** All of them put together. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3086763/expendabelles-cast-expendables-spinoff/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3086763/expendabelles-cast-expendables-spinoff/"},"headline":"The Expendabelles: Dream-Casting the Upcoming Expendables Spin-Off","datePublished":"2014-08-07T14:57:33.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:07:56.707Z","description":"The 15 women—including Sigourney Weaver—who can turn the female version of the summer's most overstuffed action film into another huge hit.","url":"https://time.com/3086763/expendabelles-cast-expendables-spinoff/","keywords":["movies","Sylvester Stallone","Casting","zoe saldana"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Dodds","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eric-dodds/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/movies/","name":"movies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3086763/expendabelles-cast-expendables-spinoff/","name":"The Expendabelles: Dream-Casting the Upcoming Expendables Spin-Off"}}]}] ```