Comic Con 2010 - Sylvester Stallone and The Expendables cast has red carpet fun (video)

Thursday at Comic Con 2010 was a big day, both for San Diego and for Sylvester Stallone and The Expendables cast that arrived for Comic Con (and this blogger's trip was sponsored by The Kings Inn Hotel in San Diego).

The Expendables is Sylvester Stallone's new movie is about a band of mercenaries led by Barney Ross (Stallone), who are led on what they're told is a covert, CIA-funded mission to overthrow the dictator of a South American country. In reality, it's a trick; they were sent on a suicide mission.

Stallone 

The Expendables stars Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Jet Li, Jason Statham, Eric Roberts, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, Terry Crews, Mickey Rourke, and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in what is the greatest collection of action movie heros in Hollywood's history. Of the cast, four arrived at the red carpet press conference held at Comic Con and just before their The Expendables panel in Hall H.

From the way Stallone, Lundgren, Crews, Couture, and Austin got along on the Comic Con red carpet, the movie had to be fun to make. But that aside, what is it about Stallone's movies - his formula, if you will - that has made them so popular for so long?

"It's about redemption," Stallone says, before he laid out a big set of words. "My theme is 'epistemological taxonomy,' which means 'spiritual signifiers.' In this movie, or in Rocky, or in Rambo, it's always about something, some mission. Like, in the last Rambo it was about The Burmies, and you had Christianity against Atheism. And in Rocky it's about just having some recognition in your lifetime; the last one was about loneliness. But the main thing I think, in all (of his) films is about redeeming your soul. Mercenaries, by in large are cold-blooded killers for money. And Mickey Rourke in this scene (in The Expendables) says 'Don't be like me. I did that, and I'm cursed. I have no soul left.' So these guys go back to save this person, not for money, but for themselves. They're saving themselves."

With all that, Stallone says he's not trying to make a political statement about mercenaries, even though the focus on a South American dictatorship may ruffle some feathers. But political issues weren't on the plate at The Expendables red carpet, fun was. From Terry Crews bragging about his muscles and saying "The gun show has come to Comic Con," to Stallone, Crews, Lundgren, and Couture, giving muscle poses before the cameras, and just a lot of laughing in general, it's clear these guys really like each other and had a lot of fun making The Expendables.

Where was Bruce Willis?

As Dolph Lundgren noted in the video, a number of cast members didn't show up for the red carpet event, one of them being the legendary Bruce Willis. Later, after the press event ended and the stars rushed to Hall H for the Comic Con panel, I walked outside of room 28 CD to get some air and exit, talked to a security worker, and was pointed to an elevator to take. That elevator went down to a dark driveway dotted with more security people. As I walked, I realized the back entrance to Hall H and where The Expendables cast was, was on my right, so, realizing I could have walked into the event and on stage, but not wanting to make trouble, I walked to my left and as I did, a tall, bald white guy in a dark blue suit walked toward me. As he did, he pointed, gave a smile and nodded; I returned the action. Then I realized it was Bruce Willis, giving me the "bald brother" nod.

Of course, it's hard to miss a bald black guy in a mustard colored blazer.

Stay tuned.