New and returning stars for The Expendables 2 have been rumored in and out for a while now, with high expectations for most of the cast to return, including Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger, who both had cameos in the first film.

Now, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, star Sylvester Stallone has not only confirmed returning actors in Schwarzenegger and Willis””who are said to have much bigger parts in the sequel””but also the involvement of a couple of other major action movie stars who have also been whispered about recently: Jean–Claude Van Damme and the one and the only Chuck Norris.

Stallone, who also wrote and directed the first movie, said of the announcement “We’ll have a big showdown between me and Van Damme, which has been anticipated for a long time, so it should be a good one.” Sly is passing up the added work this time around and only starring in the sequel, with Simon West (Con Air, The Mechanic) stepping into the director’s chair.

Oh, and speaking of West’s Con Air, it looks like Nicolas Cage could also find his way onto the cast of The Expendables 2. When confirming Norris, Stallone also talked about others that could become involved, including Cage.

The actor said “We’ve got Chuck Norris and I think Nic Cage. We’re trying to work out different scenarios. I like using people that had a moment and then maybe have fallen on some hard times and give them another shot. So we’re always looking for actors like Michael Biehn and Michael Pare. I like those kinds of guys. Someone did it for me and I like to see if I can do it for them. We also need some new blood in there, a Navy Seal-type, because with the Expendables none of them have 20-20 vision anymore. They need some help, man.”

Stallone ended with the possibility of even a John Travolta being cast, saying “It’s possible. The one thing I’ve learned is what is a fact on Monday is a complete fallacy on Tuesday. A lot of it is scheduling. It’s not financial. It’s just that Bulgaria is definitely a jaunt. It’s a commitment, you know what I mean? Especially in the dead of winter.”

But at the moment, it’s just Norris and Van Damme confirmed for roles joining the returning cast. The rest of the names are just wishlist names that may or may not happen.

Filming will begin in Bulgaria at the end of the month, with a release date set for August of 2012.

[Source: EW]