Hollywood's all-time toughest list incomplete without this guy

Chuck Norris

The all-star list of Hollywood tough guys who appeared in last year's action film "The Expendables" have decided to welcome to its sequel another macho movie great: Chuck Norris.

Sylvester Stallone, director of the first "Expendables," confirmed recently that Norris will join the cast of "The Expendables 2," a movie in filming now.

"We've got Chuck Norris and I think Nic Cage," Stallone told Entertainment Weekly, musing on who might be new in "Expendables 2."

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The first "Expendables" film reached into the way-back machine to overflow its cast with classic action heroes from the 1980s and '90s, including the 65-year-old Stallone, former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke and more.

Perhaps it's only fitting, then, that Stallone and company would look to include the star of "The Delta Force," "Missing in Action" and "Walker, Texas Ranger," a man of whom whole books cannot contain the tales of his legendary toughness.

"When Chuck Norris does a pushup," the legend goes, "he isn't lifting himself up, he's pushing the Earth down."

Though Norris is now 71 years old, the former world Karate champion maintains and advocates a healthy lifestyle, including work through KickStart, a nonprofit organization he created to help battle drugs and violence in schools.

Norris writes a pair of weekly columns published by WND, one on culture and politics and the other, called "C-Force," on health.

In announcing that both Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme would be joining the cast of "The Expendables 2," Stallone joked about the age of some of its stars – including himself, Schwarzenegger and Norris, all of whom are over 60.

"We also need some new blood in there," Stallone said, "because with the Expendables, none of them have 20-20 vision anymore. They need some help, man."

Newspapers in Bulgaria report Norris, Shwarzenegger and Statham touched down in the capital city of Bulgaria earlier this week to being filming.

The movie is aiming for an August 2012 release.