As governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger has sought to maintain the state as the capital of US film production, and a tax incentive has been introduced to deter so-called runaway productions from shooting elsewhere. However, while Schwarzenegger’s cameo in The Expendables will be shot in Los Angeles, the rest of the film will be made in Brazil and Louisiana.

Sylvester Stallone, who wrote and will direct the action movie, features in the cast with Mickey Rourke, Jet Li, Eric Roberts and Forest Whitaker.