It appears that “The Expendables” franchise might be shedding another action icon. Recently it was reported that star and co-creator of the film series, Sylvester Stallone, is having issues with the studio regarding the direction of the upcoming fourth film, and probably will not be back for the next film. And now Arnold Schwarzenegger is stating that he won’t be back if there’s no Stallone.
“There is no ‘Expendables’ without Sly,” said the actor in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “I would never do the movie without him, no.”
Losing both Stallone and Schwarzenegger leaves the film with a severe lack of star power. “The Expendables” isn’t really known for its strong scripts or acting. The film series is best known for combining the best action actors from the last 30 years into one mega team-up. Without, arguably, the two biggest names in the film, audiences are left with Wesley Snipes and Dolph Lundgren. No offense to those talented guys, but they’re no Sly or Arnold.
Even if Stallone comes back for the fourth film in the series, Schwarzenegger isn’t convinced he should return. Apparently, the actor is going to be a bit more picky with his roles, and he wasn’t impressed with how the third film came out. “You know, I think the first and second one were terrific,” said Schwarzenegger. “But, the third one, I thought my part was not written well. It was also not playing well in the movie, as far as I was concerned. Maybe other people believed differently. But I didn’t believe that I had any value in the movie. I love the franchise, by the way. I think it’s a spectacular franchise, ‘The Expendables.’ I think that Sly has good ideas, what he wants to do with it, and I think if they write a really good script [in] which my part is very well-developed, I would do it. If not, then I won’t do it.”
Schwarzenegger also hinted that the studio wants an August start date for production, and that means they’re working hard on trying to nail down a cast. With Sly and Arnold not in the fold, there could be more dominos to fall in the coming weeks, with actors fleeing what could be a sinking ship.