Expendables 2 ‘Billy the Kid’ Was Originally Offered to Lautner

Fact: In Expendables 2, the role of the sniper-trained Billy the Kid, was offered to Taylor Lautner and not to Liam Hemsworth.

Because of the movie hit, Twilight, Taylor Lautner was eyed for the sniper role in Expendables 2. It was not until Taylor Lautner passed up the role that it was finally given to Liam Hemsworth. Thank goodness, Lautner didn’t take the offer because Hemsworth was perfect for the role of the young soldier. Liam Hemsworth and his brother, whom plays Thor, really wanted the part. Luckily, for Liam, it was his.

He also played the role of Gale Hawthorne in The Hunger Games adaptation, which is an upcoming film. It’s an unexpected move for the casting director of the Expendables characters, because the rest of the cast all have some kind of royalty status in the action film industry. It was said that Hemsworth’s appearance was needed for someone to play the role of a younger character, close to Sly Stallone’s character.

Liam Hemsworth plays the role of the sniper, Billy the Kid. He is the youngest in the roster of action heroes in cast of Expendables 2. Hemsoworth was supposed to play a character in the first installment, but because the script was modified, his character was removed. Sly remembered to cast him back in the second installment. For Hemsworth, working with all those big action stars was a bit weird because he watched their movies when he was just a child. When he was accidentally kicked in the chest by Jean-Claude Van Damme, it felt like Van Damme gave him a gift.