While waiting for some serious news on EX2 which probably won't happen until they resume filming in China in a week or two, we were discussing the importance of each actor's role and the amount of screen time they might get in EX2. It's very hard to guess exactly how much screen time anyone would get, things get cut, edited and re-edited in post production, plus Stallone can be unpredictable at times. So we came up with a simple grading system of 1-10 - hoping the movie is going to be 120 min long - 1 is for 10 min or less and 10 for 100 min or more (make sure to click on the table at the bottom of the page for full results and details).
Stallone (Barney) - he's indisputably the main character, the maestro, the MAN. He should be involved in almost every scene and was on set from the very beginning till the very end. He's also going to shoot in China. His dominance is even stronger this time than in the first movie. Billed as the no. 1 cast in every promotional material vs. "and Stallone" in the teaser trailers of EX1, the main face in every poster vs. always surrounded by Statham & Li in EX1 posters, he runs the show even when he's officially not directing the movie.Statham (Lee) - he should remain a main character, 2nd in command next to Stallone, but we think his role and screen time are reduced this time in favor of other EX's. He arrived on set a week later than the rest of the EX's and it's not sure if he'll fly to China.
Li (Ying) - his role should be significantly reduced to a mere minor supporting character this time. He didn't film anything in Bulgaria and will only shoot his scenes in China for a couple of weeks at best. Although billed as no. 3, it's probably for commercial reasons. Many think that he'll be the EX to die, we think he'll only participate in the Burma mission and then declines to join the team for Church's mission.
Lundgren (Gunnar) - his role should be much more increased this time compared to the first movie. He was there from the beginning and will also shoot in China. He was also seen in almost all on set pictures that we've seen so far. Most probably the most important character after Statham in the EX team and should participate in all the missions throughout the movie. He's also billed before Norris which says a lot.
Norris (Booker) - initially thought to only have a cameo participation, his role should be bigger than Willis and Schwarzenegger. He arrived on set in early October at the same time than Statham, and stayed for a couple of weeks longer than Willis and Schwarzenegger. There were a few on set photos where he could be seen with the EX team filming in an old eastern European type of town, and he was also part of the airport scenes. He's also said to share a scene with Willis and Schwarzenegger similar to the one the latter had with Stallone in EX1. A minor supporting role but definitely not a cameo.
Crews (Hale) - his screen time should increase this time. He filmed throughout the entire production in Bulgaria, was seen in almost all the pictures even with Van Damme, was at the airport, in the old town with Norris, not sure if he'll shoot in China though. He's also billed before Couture which was not the case in EX1, probably the most important EX character after Lundgren.
Couture (Toll) - he should have less presence than Crews but maybe more than what he had in EX1. He's a probable candidate to die during the mission.
Hemsworth (Billy) - he's probably the EX with the least screen time. He arrived on set a month later that the rest of the EX team, did not shoot at the airport, arrived after Norris left so no scenes in the old town either. We think he's also one of the very probable EX charterers to die.
Van Damme (Jean) - the main villain, he should be one of the main supporting characters. Present throughout the entire production in Bulgaria, it's not clear if he filmed as much as the rest of the cast. He seemed idle during the month of October and his on set pictures only popped up in November. He has a fight scene with Stallone that should be epic. He gets billed with an "also" credit which is unseen before, the fact that the cast is packed with huge names, and "with" & "and" were taken, the casting had to come up with something new and it's called "also". It shows that he still carries some weight and EX2 is giving him the credit he deserves.Willis (Church) - he has a more substantial role than in EX1, but let's qualify substantial. Yes, it's not a cameo but let's be realistic, he only filmed for 4-5 days. He should have one scene with Stallone where he sends the team on a mission, seen in the trailer, he should be part of the airport fight also seen in the trailer, and he might share a scene with Norris. Other than that he's very unlikely to be seen in any other part of the movie. A minor supporting role is what substantial means relative to what he had in EX1.
Schwarzenegger (Trench) - same as Willis, he could be seen in a scene with Willis & Norris, at the airport and should have a scene during the rescue mission in Burma. He also filmed for 5 days, so the expectation is set, also a minor supporting role. He gets billed with the "and" credit though which sounds like the highest ranking after Stallone, normal given his status and brand equity.
Adkins (Hector) - the right hand man to Van Damme, his role was initially thought to be relatively important but there are doubts now given he's not billed and not seen in any on set pictures that circulated on the net (maybe one or two at best). He might be set to have a similar role to Gary Daniels in EX1, hopefully a little bit more.
Nan (Maggie) - the new EX recruit. She was on set from the beginning, was seen in many on set pictures, she seems to be an important member of the team and fighting throughout the entire mission, she could even be filming in China as she is from there. Her role could be equal to Couture's, she was even seen at the airport scenes, she might exceed expectations in EX2.
Here's a table with the full scores and the breakdown of scenes and who might be part of what. "Maybe" means we are not sure, "maybe-y" means we are not sure but potentiality yes, and "maybe-n" means potentially no. Click on the table to expend for a better view.
