Danny Trejo, Enter the Dragon’s Bolo Yeung, La Femme Nikita’s Peta Wilson, Wesley Snipes, and Michael Dudikoff taking cues from Expendables?

Empire Film Group has confirmed that Machete’s Danny Trejo, Chinese legend Bolo Yeung (Bloodsport, Enter the Dragon) and La Femme Nikita’s Peta Wilson have joined the cast of the action film Havana Heat with Wesley Snipes, Joey Lawrence and Michael Dudikoff. Popular Latin American actors Zulay Henao, Lorena Rincon and Raul Julia-Levy also join the international ensemble cast. Plus, according to an Empire statement, the company is in negotiations with several other high profile stars to join the cast.

So the question is, has Sylvester Stallone started a new trend in Hollywood action filmmaking? Could bringing together iconic action heroes for one big party really be the key to sluggish box office? It just might be, judging from The Expendables reception and potential franchise treatment. If a project is well-written, fun, and filled with the type of excitement that movie-goers will actually enjoy once their butts are in the seats, why not make the proposition more appealing with a group of familiar faces. But the movie’s got to be good. Or at least worth plunking down your money for.

Havana Heat is described as an action adventure thriller with beautiful women, spectacular locations, exciting music and explosive stunts under a blue Caribbean sky. The film tells the story of a Homeland Security agent based in Gitmo who is murdered while undercover in Cuba.

“We’re following the strategy of many successful action films by blending an International Cast in our marketing campaign. I am very excited with the star talent that we have assembled and look forward to working with them,” said Empire’s Dean Hamilton Bornstein, who will produce and direct the feature.

Havana Heat begins shooting on January 10, 2011 in Cartagena, Colombia and is produced by Tayrona Entertainment Group, Radar Pictures and Empire Film Group, along with Wesley Snipes’ Maandi Media Entertainment. Ted Field, James Ordonez, Ken Gord and Ed Elbert produce. Tayrona’s Jose Antonio Ruiz-Diez and Sheila McCarthy serve as Executive Producers, along with Bonnie Kanner, Daniel Santefort, Raul Julia-Levy, Dan Meachum and Empire’s Jim Townsend.

The film will be released in both U.S. and Latin America via Tayrona Entertainment Group, and global sales are represented by Voltage Pictures.