Published at: Feb. 25, 2002, 12:53 a.m. CST by staff
Harry here, with the news that D.J. Caruso, director of the upcoming film THE SALTON SEA - which was just screened by Moriarty and AICN at the Egyptian theater just a week or so ago. Well, I just got the heads up that the honorable Caruso has taken the reins of a long in development project called THE EXPENDABLES. Contrary to what is reported in Hollywood Reporter he isn't considering it, he has actually signed.
Originally this was going to be made by Frank Marshall, but that time seems to have passed. Back then it involved Nazi Gold on a downed U-boat off the coast of Cuba. I liked that script, it definitely had a rough as broken glass on bare-bottomed feet feel to it, and had that Dirty Dozen type of feel to it.
From what I hear, D.J. Caruso is going into a rewrite with Jonathan Lemkin to make it closer to an ABYSS/DIRTY DOZEN/APOCALYPSE NOW! type of feel. The script has reportedly already been changed from Nazis to a downed Japanese Sub.... and the diving team is no longer a U.S. life sentence prison team, but a Chino Prison diving team.... it no longer is set off the coast of Cuba, but is now in the South China Sea which has not only Gold but Plutonium as well. Because of the radiation leak possibilities they want men that are Expendable... thus the Dirty Dozen type of comparisons.
While I haven't seen THE SALTON SEA yet, Moriarty, Quint, Patch and others have all chimed in as liking it quite a bit. So officially we have our eyes on this D. J. Caruso fella. This'll be his next project!
