It looks like the Expendables franchise is moving forward with the 4th installment without Sylvester Stallone. According to a report from Deadline, Stallone is foregoing a 20 million dollar paycheck due to major studio conflicts with Nu Image/Millennium chief Avi Lerner. The two have been butting heads on critical components for the next film, including the director, script, to even which CGI company to work with.
Lerner is still hoping Stallone will eventually work with the studio, saying:
“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% 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.”
Sources close to Stallone say the source of contention is due to the high bar the actor has set for himself after the widely adored Creed film re-energized his career. The Expendables 4 is still moving forward, being written by Dave Callaham and Gregory Poirier, with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jason Statham currently set to reprise their roles.
Does this mean the end to the Expendables franchise, or does this news give an opportunity to bring new energy into the already testosterone filled project? Leave your thoughts down below!