Don’t bother pinching yourself. You’re awake. This is actually happening. With The Expendables 2 just hitting theaters this weekend, Variety is reporting another Expendables-type film will feature a cast made up of female action stars. Hit the jump for my reaction and oh yeah, all the details we know so far.

Here’s what I looked like when I heard the news.

But seriously, is this not the coolest news we’ve heard in a long time? The idea of the original Expendables film, created by David Callaham and Sylvester Stallone, was an action movie fan’s dream. It brought together Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Terry Crews, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. And yes, the studio thought it was good enough to make another but someone is already thinking further ahead in the franchise.

According to Variety, “Adi Shankar’s banner 1984 Private Defense Contractors has tapped Dutch Southern to write an all-female riff on the star-studded action franchise. Shankar (‘The Grey’) will produce for 1984 Private Defense Contractors, which plans to fully finance the ‘Expendables’-inspired project. Company is already in talks with several prominent actresses affiliated with the action genre.”

Variety didn’t specificy which actresses were being approached but director of The Expendables 2, Simon West, recently told E! News who he’d like to cast in a third film. “I like the idea of the Expenda-Belles where it’s seven or eight women mercenaries,” he said. “It would be Angelina Jolie, Cameron Diaz, Milla Jovovich, the list goes on. Helen Mirren, Jamie Lee Curtis would be great.”

Did a year filled with money-making action films starring a woman in the lead role finally knock some sense into Hollywood? We can only hope. Either way, this is supremely cool news. The only downside I see is West mentioned some of the actors from the first two films would also be in the film and that takes away time from the ladies getting to do their own thing.

I’d like to expand West’s list with my own suggestions of some women who have proven themselves quite worthy when it comes to kicking butt and blowing stuff up: Zoe Bell, Charlize Theron, Gina Carano, Michelle Yeoh, Kate Beckinsale, Summer Glau, Tracie Thoms, Sigourney Weaver, Linda Hamilton, Lucy Lawless, Jennifer Garner, Katee Sackhoff, Pam Grier, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Lucy Liu…well, I could go on. Add your own suggestions in the comments!

(via AceShowBiz)

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