Ronda Rousey to make film debut in The Expendables 3

Ronda Rousey will show championship form in Expendables 3! So will multi hampion Victor Ortiz!

— Sylvester Stallone (@TheSlyStallone) July 24, 2013

This story broke on Tuesday while I was watching Casting By at the Bloor Cinema. A couple of folks asked me what I thought about it and it took me a couple of days to get to it. Sylvester Stallone announced on Twitter that UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey will make her film debut in The Expendables 3. Already some fans are wringing their hands and saying that this is Gina Carano all over again. I doubt that because Gina was the star of Haywire and was in every scene. In The Expendables 3, Ronda is a small part of a large cast. I would be surprised if she was in the film for more than ten minutes. I think it's a good way for her to get her feet wet in the film business. When Ronda signed with William Morris Endeavor early this year, it was inevitable they would cast her in a movie. At the time it was rumoured that she was offered a role in The Hunger Games sequel. Was that true? It's possible. Maybe they couldn't work out the schedule. A few months ago, Stallone said that he planned to cast some young actors to conflict with the veteran stars of The Expendables 3. One young actor who has been hired for this subplot is Kellan Lutz from the Twilight series. A lot of the cast from the previous films are returning. And the big addition for The Expendables 3 is Mel Gibson is playing the villain. The film will begin shooting next month in Bulgaria. But it looks like the subplot that Ronda will be in is set to be shot in Los Angeles in August. She will shoot her scenes for a couple of weeks and be done in time to start her training camp for her fight in December. UFC President Dana White told Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer that he approved of Ronda's participation in the film. He says it won't interfere with her training schedule. Of course this could lead to other film offers. It's the agent's job to figure out the logistics so everyone is happy. You just should remember that The Expendables 3 is a big film with a big cast and Ronda Rousey is a small part of that. She had better demonstrate an armbar in the film.