SDCC 2014: Mercenaries Debuts the All-Female Expendables

[MovieBob]

SDCC 2014: Mercenaries Debuts the All-Female Expendables

Classic action heroines go to war in all-new feature

SDCC has become the place where fans assemble to watch blockbuster trailers, but it's also occasionally a place to debut whole movies. Infamous low-budget studio The Asylum kept up that tradition this year by premiering their new feature Mercenaries, an all-female takeoff on the Expendables franchise.

While the producers of Expendables are still supposedly assembling a team for their own "official" gender-swapped companion piece, Raze [http://www.deadline.com/2014/02/berlin-robert-luketic-to-helm-millenniums-the-expendabelles-who-should-star/] headliner Zoe Bell for a lead role, backed up by a cast of tough-girl mainstays of the 80s and 90s.

Onhand for the mayhem are martial-arts legend Cynthia Rothrock (China O'Brien, Rage & Honor I & II,) former Terminatrix Kristanna Loken (Terminator 3, Bloodrayne, Mortal Kombat: Conquest,) Brigitte Nielsen (Red Sonja, Rocky IV,) Vivica A. Fox (ID4, Kill Bill I & II) and Nicole Bilderback (Buffy, Dark Angel.) The film's plot concerns a rescue operation that involves infiltrating a women-only foriegn prison to rescue the kidnapped First Daughter, thus necessitating an all-female commando team. The film held its world premiere at Comic-Con on July 25th, with an August 5 release date currently slated.


Source: The Asylum [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiE18U7to0M]


[http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/conferences/sdcc2014]

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[UberPubert]

I feel like Uma Thurman should be on this list. And Michelle Rodriguez.

Or maybe not, this is still The Asylum after all and star power can't fix everything.

 

[Super Cyborg]

These are always the best kind of movies, insane premises with no regard to sensibility. Of course being the Asylum with all Female characters, I wouldn't be surprised if it's all female fan service. That reminds me, need to watch Sharknado 2 on the DVR.

Beyond that, if this is as insane and awesome as I think it will be count me in. Seeing a bunch of Women kick some ass is a plus in my book.

 

[Azuaron]

This could actually be a really cool mo--

Oh, the Asylum? No, it's going to be terrible.

Also, you can't just say someone's from Buffy when they had an unnamed role in a single episode, particularly if you're trying to show that the person's a badass and they were essentially just one of Cordelia's groupies.

 

[Sack of Cheese]

Okay, that's a pretty badass trailer!
I'm so fired up for this film!! Even if it's mediocre, I wouldn't care, I would go see it!!

 

[WashAran]

Why call it Mercenaries, when they are all prison inmates?

 

[Thaluikhain]

Ok, the movie is likely to be crap, but still, pay them for giving it a go.

 

[CrazyBlaze]

Still going to be better than The Expendabellies (really? Is that the best they could do.) which is being written and directted by the amazing team behind Legally Blond. Yeah. That sounds like its not going to be about shopping and high heels (not to mention the fact that XXbendables will be disguising themselves as Call Girls for their mission.. Just urgh.) At least this looks to be a decent action flick with women kicking ass. Even if the studio isn't the best around.

 

[Elijin]

Still going to be better than The Expendabellies (really? Is that the best they could do.) which is being written and directted by the amazing team behind Legally Blond. Yeah. That sounds like its not going to be about shopping and high heels (not to mention the fact that XXbendables will be disguising themselves as Call Girls for their mission.. Just urgh.) At least this looks to be a decent action flick with women kicking ass. Even if the studio isn't the best around.

What was wrong with legally blonde?

Im genuinely curious since you're using this to set the bar for how bad the writers are. I mean it wasnt to my taste, but I've seen the rundowns of why it was a clever film, and the points in its favour are decent.

 

[hermes]

I don't know. Good for them for giving it a go, but The Expendables as a franchise is run entirely on nostalgic star power. If Red Sonya is the best they could get, I don't think this movie is going to make it.

 

[Remus]

Why Zoe why? You could've been in the original big-budget film and instead you went for the cheap knockoff cash-in. Ah well. I will bet money that there will be a lesbian subplot in this film, because this is Asylum pictures and they simply cannot help themselves, especially with the "ooh, women in prison" plot they're going for. So who do you think drops the soap in this picture?

 

[Whytewulf]

I really appreciated the dialogue and back story of each character presented. I am interested to see how they deal with their inner demons and conquer social injustice. Also, someone kicks someone in the face a lot.

 

[AwesomeDave]

Well, it's from Asylum. The creative masterminds who brought us Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies, Sharknado and Allan Quatermain and the Temple of Skulls. So surely it won't be a shoddily-written knock-off with horrible directing, choreography and cinematography. Surely.

/sarcasm.

 

[Super Cyborg]

Well, it's from Asylum. The creative masterminds who brought us Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies, Sharknado and Allan Quatermain and the Temple of Skulls. So surely it won't be a shoddily-written knock-off with horrible directing, choreography and cinematography. Surely.

/sarcasm.

Hey, Sharknado was a masterpiece, along other great works as the Mega Shark movies, Piranhaconda, Sharktopus, and Super Shark. It was mindless fun with sharks flying all over the place. I await the day I can watch the sequel when I get home. Well, they aren't movies that make you question things or will be writing about the amazing plot, but the terrible CGI along with the terrible writing with the ridiculous premises, is great fun to watch. If this movie is as ridiculous as those others, it will be great.

 

[Seracen]

I feel like Uma Thurman should be on this list. And Michelle Rodriguez.

Or maybe not, this is still The Asylum after all and star power can't fix everything.

Isn't Zoe Bell Uma's stunt double in a bunch of movies? If so, it's like you are getting her doppelganger!

Still going to be better than The Expendabellies (really? Is that the best they could do.) which is being written and directted by the amazing team behind Legally Blond. Yeah. That sounds like its not going to be about shopping and high heels (not to mention the fact that XXbendables will be disguising themselves as Call Girls for their mission.. Just urgh.) At least this looks to be a decent action flick with women kicking ass. Even if the studio isn't the best around.

Expendabellies or Expendabelles? Either way...sounds...unfortunate...and the other title sounds like a bad porn.

In all fairness, the sexploitation angle might work if presented in a "Grindhouse" (and sarcastically unapologetic) manner...much like the movie "***** Slap," which had half of Hercules/Xena's cast in cameos haha! If you haven't seen ***** Slap, do so. I went in expecting utter garbage; but my friends sat me down, and I ended up liking it despite my better judgement!

 

[jFr[e]ak93]

Is it just me, or did the trailer look really "cheap"? I think I've seen short films on YouTube with a higher production value...

OT - I'm still not sold on the Expendables let alone this.

 

[Operations]

This looks awful, like a bad made for TV movie.
I can't believe it is going to be in cinemas.
I presume it isn't getting an international release though?