Chuck Norris Puts Internet Meme Career On Hold, Makes Triumphant Return To Action Movies

Chuck Norris has been more of a joke than an action star over the last couple of years. His last movie, The Cutter, came out in 2005. Since then, Norris has become an internet meme, has dabbled in politics, and has called out President Obama for turning boy scouts gay. But Norris is done with being a punchline. Yep, Walker Texas Ranger returned to what he does best last weekend by starring alongside Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Jean Claude Van Damme in The Expendables. 

Norris may not have the same star power as Stallone or Schwarzenegger, but he does have a feverish (and ironic) fan base on the internet. According to The Film Industry Network, Norris is by far the most popular actor on the internet compared to his Expendables co-stars.

Schwarzenegger, who recently ended his career in politics and is planning an action star comeback, is bringing in 1.83 million monthly searches. Stallone, who wrote and starred in the new movie, only pulled in 1.2 million searches. Chuck Norris, on the other hand, is bringing in 5 million monthly searches.

Sure, some of that comes from people searching for Chuck Norris Facts, a site that generates jokes about the actor, but Norris has also re-gained a little bit of credibility from The Expendables. But just a little. Norris plays into the fact that he’s become a bit of a joke in the new movie and adds some great comic relief in The Expendables. 

The NY Times writes:

“Until Mr. Norris shows up, the script’s efforts at sly comedy don’t work all that well, relying on obvious inside jokes and references to the various stars’ previous work. Mr. Norris’s character, Booker (also the name of his character in the 1978 film “Good Guys Wear Black”), works those same angles but is somehow much funnier. From his arrival until the film works its way to the inevitable mega-confrontation in which the bad guys shoot with stunning inaccuracy, and the good guys don’t, the movie is pleasantly dumb fun if you watch it with the right mind-set.”

And Norris might be able to turn The Expendables into a little bit of a resurgence. Norris is set to star in The Novice in 2013, which will be only his second movie since 2005.

Are you a fan of Chuck Norris?