The Expendables 2 is a 2012 American action film directed by Simon West, written by Richard Wenk and Sylvester Stallone and based on a story by Ken Kaufman, David Agosto and Wenk. Brian Tyler returned to score the film. It is the sequel to The Expendables (2010), and is the second installment in The Expendables film series. The film stars an ensemble cast of largely action film actors consisting of Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
In the film, The Expendables undertakes a mission which evolves into a quest for revenge against rival mercenary Jean Vilain, who murders one of their own men and threatens the world with a deadly weapon.
Principal photography took place over 14 weeks (beginning in September 2011) on an estimated $100 million budget. Film locations included Bulgaria, Hong Kong and New Orleans. Controversy arose over the accidental death of a stuntman and environmental damage caused during filming in Bulgaria.
The film was released in Europe on 16 August 2012, and in North America the following day.
The Expendables 2 grossed over $310 million worldwide, with its greatest success outside North America. Critics generally considered the film an improvement over its predecessor due to its increased use of humor and action sequences, but its plot and dialogues received criticism. A tie-in downloadable video game was released on 31 July 2012 as a prequel to the events of the film. A sequel titled The Expendables 3 was released on 15 August 2014.
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