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U.S. actor Sylvester Stallone reacts after he received his trophy during the Golden Icon Award ceremony at the 4. Zurich Film Festival September 26, 2008. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Don't look for any pretty boys in Sylvester Stallone's next action movie. Or for too much blood, either.

The actor said he is currently writing the script for "The Expendables," in which he will star with Jason Statham and Jet Li. He will also direct the movie, which will start shooting early next year in Costa Rica and Louisiana.

They will play rag-tag mercenaries on an undercover mission to depose a Latin American dictator. Stallone hopes to land Forest Whitaker for the role of a devious CIA agent involved in the operation.

"Whereas the 'Oceans 11' films were an ensemble for good looking guys, this is an ensemble for ugly tough guys," he told buyers at the American Film Market in Santa Monica during the weekend.

The film will aim for a teen-friendly PG-13 rating ("it won't be a blood fest," he said), and he jokingly thanked the producers "for giving me the $35 to make this movie."

The film is the first in Stallone's two-picture deal with Nu Image/Millennium Films. The second is expected to be the next installment of his popular "Rambo" series. The studio's most recent collaboration with Stallone, "Rambo," grossed $155 million worldwide this year. Statham and Li previously collaborated on the martial-arts actioner "War."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter