Clint Eastwood has appeared in a number of well-known cult Hollywood classics over the years. The adored “Man with No Name” has a history of playing some memorable parts, whether it is in the Dollars trilogy or the Dirty Harry franchise. He is well-liked by numerous A-list celebrities in addition to his many admirers. Sylvester Stallone fits that description. Unfortunately, the Rocky star was unable to collaborate with his idol because Eastwood had other ideas.
The Expendables is a franchise that has seen a ton of big names from Hollywood coming together on the big screens. Clint Eastwood was also approached to star alongside Sylvester Stallone for the third installment of the film, which was eventually turned down by the Pale Rider star.
Why Clint Eastwood turned down Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables 3?
Clint Eastwood is not a prominent name in the field of acting, but the legend also has an immense contribution to directing. He has directed some of the most memorable movies such as Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby in his long directorial career. When the 92-year-old actor was approached to appear in the ensemble action flick, he expressed his interest to rather direct it.
In an interview with Contactmusic.com, when the Oscar-winning director and actor was asked about his involvement in The Expendables 3, Eastwood took no time to state his thoughts.
”Probably not. I’m probably more apt to direct something. Maybe I’ll direct ‘Expendables 3’. I haven’t had the opportunity to see [‘The Expendables’] yet. I haven’t read any material.”
Earlier, Sylvester Stallone has also spoken about the difficulties of bringing so many big names under a common umbrella. This also led to the franchise losing some of the biggest names such as Jack Nicholson and Jackie Chan. But on the other hand, Sylvester Stallone revealed that he knew about the consequence of the casting decision for a long time- “Well, you know Clint is so involved with what he’s doing, so that’s kind of a pipe dream.”
Despite the franchise’s inability to bring in every action star from the industry, The Expendables 4 is all set to hit the theaters this year with a future plan for the franchise knocking on the door.
What do we know about The Expendables 4?
Even after having a wide fan following, The Expendables 3 was not a very good product, attracting a lot of negative reviews as well as earning a lot less than its predecessors. Despite that, the franchise is returning with its fourth installment which will present Sylvester Stallone’s Barney Ross for one last time.
Many names such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li, and Terry Crews will not return for the upcoming part. Among the regulars, only Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, and Randy Couture are expected to return, with Statham’s Lee Christmas set to be the primary character this time. Interestingly, Jackie Chan was also approached for this part but he revealed that he would be more interested in an action flick with only Stallone and not with an ensemble cast.
Additionally, the franchise is anticipated to welcome newcomers Andy Garcia, Megan Fox, Curtis Jackson, Jacob Scipio, Iko Uwais, and Tony Jaa in the Scott Waugh-directed film. The Expendables 4 will attempt to resurrect the franchise’s popularity across all audiences as well as launch a new trilogy.
Release day for The Expendables 4 is set for September 22, 2023.