Nikki Finke's Deadline.com recently ran a piece asking, "Where did all of the tough guys go?" They bemoaned the fact that scrawnier actors like Adrien Brody or slackers like Seth Rogen were taking over the action genre. Personally, I thought the article was way off. First off, it's not like Matt Damon didn't bulk up, Daniel Craig is probably the most ripped Bond there's ever been, and Jason Statham is holding his own as he carries the mantle for all those who love stupid, braindead action films.

What was even more off, however, was the fact that Deadline thought that "The Expendables" might help bring back the big, tough guy actors. It won't. If it brings back "Tough Guys", that probably means that the old Kirk Douglas/Burt Lancaster aging mobster movie from the 80's will be remade. The problem isn't that America doesn't have tough guy actors, it's that Hollywood is skewing older and older. The biggest bad ass in the new "Predators" movie seems to be Laurence Fishburne, no spring chicken. Liam Neeson has pretty much reinvented himself as a shit-kicker (filling the void left by former graybeard tough guy Sean Connery) with Batman Begins, Taken, and The A-Team. Who's next? Helen Mirren?

Actually, yes. Yes, she is.

And while some people can act like this is something new, it really isn't. The bottom line is that Hollywood isn't going to invest the money that it takes to blow shit up unless they have a known actors. And most known actors with proven track records are older. People point to the days of Stallone and Ahnuld but the fact of the matter is that James Cameron helped make The Governator while Stallone's two biggest franchises came from his own pen - Sly wrote both Rocky and First Blood (which introduced John Rambo).

Then again, you can also blame Sly and Arnie for the lack of committed action stars because they weren't exactly committed to the genre themselves. As soon as Arnold could string together complete sentences, he started making comedies, usually alternating between kicking ass and being silly. Stallone also tried his hand at it time and again (although with much less success.) Pretty much every potential next action hero has followed this plan (or tried to break out of the action genre completely.) Vin Diesel and The Rock were probably the two most likely to succeed but they've run away from their roots (although Diesel has been forced back after watching his movies tank and pay plummet.)

Like everything in the world right now, the key is the economy. Studios think they can lure non-action junkies by casting off-type and going with guys like Damon, Brody, and Rogen. Meanwhile, action stars can make more money and help their box office resume by doing kids flicks. Studios just aren't going to spend the money it takes to make and market a straight-forward action movie with a standard action movie actor because they know that the audience is limited. If these films are going to make a comeback, people have to find ways to make them cheaper ala First Blood or Crank or Transporter, etc. If actors/producers don't want to do that, then they better find a hot property (be it a video game, comic book, graphic novel, etc.) to option so they can act like they have a pre-sold audience waiting for the film.

The actors are still tough; it's just that the times are tougher.