UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey will turn her attention to acting for at least a little while. She has apparently been cast in The Expendables 3 starring Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham and Mickey Rourke.
The move was first teased by Stallone on Twitter a week ago when he asked “who is the newest, maybe toughest female on the planet?” followed by a question asking “RR vs. GC?”.
The letters seemed to point to former Strikeforce contender Gina Carano and UFC champion Ronda Rousey. Stallone followed those messages up on Tuesday with confirmation that Rousey has joined the cast of the new film, along with boxing’s Victor Ortiz.
According to Deadline.com, production on The Expendables 3 will begin in mid-August with an August 15, 2014 release date for the new film.
The filming will go on for a few months, but Rousey‘s level of involvement is unknown at this time. In all likelihood, she will have a small part in the film given the timeline for filming versus her upcoming bout at UFC 168 on December 28 against former Strikeforce champion Miesha Tate.
Rousey‘s name has been tossed around acting circles before when she was rumored just days after her title win at UFC 157 in February as a possible star for the third Hunger Games film that will begin production soon. Rousey and her agent shot down that rumor, but at the time her manager Darin Harvey didn’t deny the fact that his client had star potential and a move into films was a possibility.
“If a film opportunity comes along, we’re not going to say no if it’s the right opportunity. Every big producer in Hollywood has taken interest in Ronda,” Harvey told Bleacher Report in late February.
“Common sense will tell you you’re looking at a young, beautiful girl that’s headlining main events, that people are interested. Ronda has star power. Anyone in the film business can look at this and tell it’s a great opportunity not only for Ronda, but it’s a great opportunity for themselves.”
The first two Expendables films grossed over $575 million worldwide for Millennium Films. This also won’t be the first time an MMA fighter takes part in the action franchise—former UFC champion and Hall of Famer Randy Couture starred in both The Expendables and The Expendables 2.
Rousey and her management were unavailable for comment about the news at the time of publication when contacted by Bleacher Report. Rousey is represented by the William Morris Endeavor for any potential film roles.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.
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