A director has been set for the next Expendables film.  Though franchise gatekeeper Sylvester Stallone admitted that he reached out to Mel Gibson for the Expendables 3 directing gig to no avail, he has now filled the chair with relative newcomer Patrick Hughes.  Stallone announced on Twitter that The Expendables 3 needed “freshness, class, and much badass” and that he had found it in the Australian filmmaker, who made his feature directorial debut on the 2010 thriller Red Hill.

Little is known about the plot for The Expendables 3 at this point, but Stallone recently stated his intention to add more humor to the franchise and noted that he hopes Jackie Chan will join the cast.  Hughes received strong marks for Red Hill (read Steve’s interview with the director here), and it’s refreshing to see a young talent like him being brought into the franchise.  With a director now set, we should start to hear more solid word about The Expendables 3 soon.  Hit the jump to watch Hughes’ short film Signs.