Confirmed: John Abraham to play the role of Sylvester Stallone in Indian version of The Expendables

Here's exciting news for fans of John Abraham and Hollywood action franchise The Expendables.

Mumbai Mirror has confirmed that John will star in the Indian version of the The Expendables. The hunk will step into the shoes of Sylvester Stallone, who had played the lead roles in the popular franchise.

Elated to be a part of the desi version of The Expendables, John told the daily: "Yes, I've been approached for the film, I'm happy and honoured. I've always admitted that I am a Stallone fan. Every time I watch one of his films, I hope for an Indianised version, and The Expendables can definitely lend itself to a desi avatar because it's a truly entertaining and commercial film which has done better business outside of North America."

Interestingly, John had always been the first choice for the director and co-producer, Nilesh Sahay. The Jism actor is happy to team up with the director whom he believes can execute action scenes in true sense.

John is set to undergo rigorous physical training to get into the skin of the character. "Nilesh is planning to put every actor through the grind physically before we roll because if you can't cope with the serious hardcore action, you are likely to pass out mid way," he said.

John's last film was action spy thriller Force 2, which was a success at the box office.