Sylvester Stallone, who stars as Barney Ross in the Expendables franchise is reportedly departing the action movie he helped create, direct and star in.
Stallone’s Barney Ross is the team leader to a group of mercenaries, in the testosterone-fueled franchise that has featured such heavy-hitters as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mel Gibson, Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, Jet Li, and more muscled stars. Stallone directed the first film in the series, co-writing the screenplay with creator Dave Callaham, and has co-written every script since.
A fourth movie has been in the works ever since the third movie was screened. But Stallone and Avi Lerner, Nu Image and Millennium Films chief, have been unable to agree on certain elements for the fourth film, including a director, according to Deadline, which first reported Stallone’s exit.
Lerner – Sylvester Stallone’s representative – told Deadline “We’ve got disagreements with Sly, but we’ve had them for over a year and a half. Right now, each one has an opinion. We agreed on 95 percent of things, but there are certain things in production we don’t agree on. I don’t think it’s over, but write whatever you want. In my opinion, it’s not dead.”
Stallone previously teased The Expendables 4 during a Facebook Live chat back in December. “We’re going to do our best, but I think we’ve got some really great attitude going,” the actor said. “We’ve got great ideas. I think everyone is expecting something different, and we’re going to give it to them.”