More bad news for the next Expendables movie, EW reports that the planned action ensemble sequel has lost another major player. Less than a week after word broke that writer and star Sylvester Stallone would not be involved with the sequel due to creative differences between he and Millennium Films‘ Avi Lerner, the magazine caught up with the former California Governor.
“There is no ‘Expendables’ without Sly,” Schwarzenegger told the outlet. “I would never do the movie without him, no.”
The Expendables franchise, which currently spans three films, has featured Stallone as mercenary team leader Barney Ross, with kick-ass heavyweights like Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, and Randy Couture making up the core group. Other action stars have made their way to the franchise, including Bruce Willis, Chuck Norris, Harrison Ford, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mel Gibson, Antonio Banderas, and Wesley Snipes. Stallone, however, has also served as producer and screenwriter on every Expendables film to date.
