THE EXPENDABLES 3 Starts Filming, Official Synopsis & Full Cast Revealed (Plus First Set Pics!)

Well, to be honest, these first set-photos from The Expendables 3 show no action at all, but who cares when we finally have the official synopsis and the full cast-list to share! Lionsgate and Millennium Films have announced that principal photography on the third installment of The Expendables action-thriller franchise began today, with production shooting on location in Bulgaria and at Nu Boyana Studios in Sofia. Head inside to find more pics and read the rest of the official announcement…

So, as we previously reported, Patrick Hughes will direct the film, (with veteran Dan Bradley directing the second unit), from a script written by Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt and Sylvester Stallone.

Beside Stallone, who is once again on board as Barney, the rest of The Expendables 3 cast will include Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Terry Crews and Arnold Schwarzenegger (returning to their roles in the first two films), with Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas, Mel Gibson and Harrison Ford joining the all-star cast along with Kellan Lutz, MMA star Ronda Rousey, welterweight boxing champion Victor Ortiz and Glen Powell.

And now, the most important update:

In The Expendables 3, Barney, Christmas and the rest of the team comes face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks, who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill… or so he thought. Stonebanks, who eluded death once before, now is making it his mission to end The Expendables – but Barney has other plans. Barney decides that he has to fight old blood with new blood, and brings in a new era of Expendables team members, recruiting individuals who are younger, faster and more tech-savvy. The latest mission becomes a clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise in the Expendables’ most personal battle yet.

Avi Lerner, Kevin King-Templeton, Danny Lerner and Les Weldon are producing The Expendables 3, while Trevor Short, Boaz Davidson and John Thompson are executive producing.

Lionsgate will release the movie in North America and the UK on August 15th, 2014.

As usual, click on these pics (via Comingsoon) to enlarge & stay tuned for more action-updates!