Kelsey Grammer takes the Nicolas Cage role in Expendables 3

Though no one could ever truly replace Nicolas Cage, Kelsey Grammer will do his darndest by taking on a role intended for Cage in Expendables 3.

According to Deadline, the former Frasier star will play Bonaparte, “an ex-mercenary who helps the Expendables in their mission.”

It’s unknown why Cage turned down the part. We suspect it’s due to a scheduling conflict with his eighteen other in-production features.

Grammer is slowly – and not so surely – evolving into one of cinema’s hard men, having also scored the main villain role in Transformers: Age of Extinction.

In Expendables 3 he joins Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Terry Crews, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Antonio Banderas, Mel Gibson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Wesley Snipes, and Harrison Ford.

Australia’s own Patrick Hughes directs. It hits cinemas August 2014.