Sly’s role in the production is not so much expendable as indispensable. Not only is he starring in the film, but he has also produced it and even helped write the script.

The plot sees a group of mercenaries who are sent to South America to topple a dictator, once ‘in country’ everything starts to go wrong and they find they have been set up. In fact, they are not just expendable, but The Expendables.

The movie features a list of famous tough men as long as 6ft 5in Swedish Universal Soldier, Dolf Lungren (who also happens to be in it).

Other members of this muscular ensemble include the UK’s own Jason Statham, scary-faced Mickey Rourke, Kung Fu expert Jet Li, old trooper Bruce Willis and even the Governator himself, Arnie.

There are those who see the cast itself as a cunning marketing campaign, as there seems to be a representative from each major US martial arts sector: Randy Couture is a UFC champ, Steve Austin is a WWF legend, and Gary Daniels is a kickboxer. There’s even a former NFL star, Terry Crews, thrown in for good measure.

Crews may well be right when he called the movie at a Comic-Con panel ‘the manliest movie ever made’.

Released on 19 August, see the trailer here:

See the Comic- Con panel here: