After a long period of silence, Escape Plan 2: Hades is set to open in UK cinemas this summer. The original Escape Plan featured the long-awaited pairing of former action movie rivals Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The two had briefly appeared together in The Expendables franchise, but Escape Plan marked their first feature-length collaboration. The end result was an enjoyable – if somewhat forgettable – buddy comedy that gets by mostly on the chemistry of the two stars.
While the movie wasn’t a blockbuster, it became a solid hit overseas, and a sequel dubbed Escape Plan 2: Hades was soon put into development. Little is known about the actual plot of the film, but it will feature Stallone’s security expert Ray Breslin having to escape another high-tech prison. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character won’t be returning this time, however, with Stallone’s Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 co-star Dave Bautista taking over buddy duties.
There’s been no news on Escape Plan 2: Hades for some time and the film doesn’t even have a trailer yet. Nonetheless, Den Of Geek is reporting the film has landed a release date in UK theatres, and is due to arrive on July 20th. There’s no word on when – or if – the film is coming to U.S. cinemas, but marketing for the movie should start to ramp up to build hype for it’s UK debut, so more information on the film’s release schedule should emerge soon.
The lack of promotion or information surrounding Escape Plan 2: Hades is strange, given that the financers have such confidence in the franchise that Escape Plan 3 has already been shot. The plot of the third entry features Stallone and Bautista’s characters teaming up once more to break into a massive prison called the Devil’s Station, with filming taking place in the same prison where The Shawshank Redemption was shot.
Escape Plan is something of a strange choice for a would-be franchise, considering the original movie didn’t attract much of a following. That said, Stallone remains a worldwide movie icon, and it’s easy to attract an audience to a modestly budgeted action film that bears his name above the title. Returning co-star 50 Cent recently said he’s curious to see how Escape Plan 2: Hades does at the box office too, considering the original was much more successful internationally than in America. If Hades does well, expect Escape Plan 3 to get released a short time after.
More: Sylvester Stallone Is Already Working On Escape Plan 3
Source: Den Of Geek
