The Borneo Post

Schwarzene­gger would ‘never’ do ‘Expendable­s’ without Stallone

- — BANG Showbiz

ARNOLD Schwarzene­gger won’t take part in the next ‘ Expendable­s’ movie without Sylvester Stallone.

The 69-year- old actor was meant to be reprising his role as Trench in the fourth instalment of the action film but it looks like the production is up in the air at the moment as the 70-year- old actor — who directed the first movie and starred in all three as Barney Ross — has quit the franchise.

Speaking to Entertainm­ent Weekly, Schwarzene­gger said: “There is no ‘ Expendable­s’ without Sly. I would never do the movie without him, no.”

However, even if bosses do manage to persuade him to take part in the fourth film, he’s adamant he’ll only accept the role if it’s written properly as he didn’t feel he added “value” to the third movie.

He explained: “You know, I think the first and second one were terrific. But, the third one, I thought my part was

There is no ‘Expendable­s’ without Sly. I would never do the movie without him, no. Arnold Schwarzene­gger

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.”

Although it’s thought the film will begin shooting in just a few months’ time, Schwarzene­gger has admitted he’s yet to be approached with the script and doesn’t know if it’ll even go ahead now.

He said: “I have not seen the script; I don’t even know if there is a script, even though they want to shoot in August again, like they usually do.”

The franchise was thrown into chaos last week when Stallone confirmed he would not return due to creative difference­s with Nu Image/ Millennium chief Avi Lerner over the script and director.

The ‘ Expendable­s 4’ was set to reunite series staples Stallone, Jason Statham, Schwarzene­gger and Dolph Lundgren — who played Russian boxer Ivan Drago in ‘ Rocky IV’.

Stallone confirmed in January that a fourth movie was on the way, revealing that he had been hitting the gym ahead of the next instalment in the blockbuste­r action- thriller franchise.

 ?? — Reuters file photo ?? Schwarzene­gger (left) and Stallone place their hand prints before the special screening of ‘The Expendable­s 3’ in Macau on Aug 22, 2014.
— Reuters file photo Schwarzene­gger (left) and Stallone place their hand prints before the special screening of ‘The Expendable­s 3’ in Macau on Aug 22, 2014.

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