One of the reasons behind the enthusiasm for The Expendables sequel casting announcements is it harks back to a different time. In the 80s and early 90s, we had Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Dolph Lundgren, Jean Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal, Mel Gibson and Jackie Chan, all primed and ready to lead a movie.

Even on their off days, they were believable where it mattered. They looked like they could win a fight, and while some of them struggled with acting, they regularly turned up in roles tailored very well to them. Furthermore, there was a subset of further, less high profile talent, but nonetheless a collection of individuals who could happily kick ass. Step forward Carl Weathers, Cynthia Rothrock, Christopher Lambert, Chuck Norris and Michael Dudikoff.

We then had splutters of a resurgence in the later 90s, when it looked like Nicolas Cage, Keanu Reeves, Will Smith and John Travolta might be picking up the mantle to varying degrees. But modern action cinema, nonetheless, has a real shortage of bona fide, proper action heroes. Who is there? Matt Damon is more an actor in action movies than anything else. The same too for Daniel Craig, and for Jeremy Renner. In fact, for most headliners in action movies.

The Rock seemed to turn his back on action for a while, although Fast Five was promising in that regard. Vin Diesel? It depends what decisions he makes. But when it boils down to it, there are perhaps two solid action stars right now, who are committed to the genre: Jason Statham and Milla Jovovich. The case for Statham is obvious. He’s a magnetic action force, whose films consistently entertain. Jovovich? Her film choices are regularly geared towards action, and she’s an underrated force in the genre. She could use some better films, though.

We might, actually, squeeze Liam Neeson in here, too, as a possible torch-bearer for modern action cinema. But few others spring to mind. The absence of new heroes in the mould of the 80s stars, and even before them the likes of Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen, Bruce Lee and Charles Bronson, means that actors who shouldn’t be let anywhere near the genre are being encouraged to give it a try.