Apart from beating up bad guys in action movies, there's nothing Sylvester Stallone quite likes more then connecting with his rabid fanbase, especially on Twitter, where the 66-year-old actor-producer-director routinely shares updates about his projects.

And recently, Stallone dropped some juicy tidbits about the status and direction of The Expendables 3, the latest film in Stallone's macho action franchise.

First, Stallone had several updates on the cast of the film, tweeting that Mickey Rourke would be reprising his role as Tool, the team's tattoo artist. Rourke will be returning to the franchise for the first time since the original movie, having passed up Expendables 2.

Mighty Mickey is back............— Sylvester Stallone (@TheSlyStallone) May 16, 2013

Stallone also hinted that action legend Jackie Chan may be joining the film, an idea that's been discussed before, as well as the possibility of Wesley Snipes coming on-board. Of course, Stallone's Twitter feed isn't the same as an official confirmation. In fact, he's actually tweeted about Snipes joining the cast before only to delete the tweet later. Still, it certainly helps get you excited about the action-packed possibilities for the movie.

What's the plan? Ask Jackie Chan....— Sylvester Stallone (@TheSlyStallone) May 16, 2013

Talked to WESLEY today ... He can not WAIT to fight to the top again !!!!!!! Over...— Sylvester Stallone (@TheSlyStallone) May 16, 2013

And speaking of those action-packed possibilities, Stallone also tweeted about the movie The Raid: Redemption as possible inspiration for the film. In typical Stallone fashion though, he promised to go even bigger than the hit Indonesia action film.

Thinking about Raiding, THE RAID....think about it...— Sylvester Stallone (@TheSlyStallone) May 16, 2013

We believe we can do better than the RAID, which was an excellent film... Raising the bar...— Sylvester Stallone (@TheSlyStallone) May 16, 2013

The Raid has certainly had a big influence on the action genre - even the Ninja Turtles reboot will apparently be taking its cues from the film. It could be interesting to see how The Expendables crew use a similar approach. Or, it could be boring, since it's something we've already seen before.

A lot of it will depend on young director Patrick Hughes, who should bring some fresh blood to the franchise after the first film was directed by Stallone and the second was helmed by veteran action director Simon West (Con-Air). Those are big shoes to fill, but if the director's indie film Red Hill is any indication, he should bring real talent to the production.

What do you think about Sly Stallone's updates? Are you excited to hear Mickey Rourke is returning and that Jackie Chan and Wesley Snipes may be in the cast? And what do you think of Sly's references to The Raid? Is that a route they should go down? Let us know in the comments.

_____

The Expendables 3 is expected to hit theaters in 2014.

Source: Twitter