Action star Arnold Schwarzenegger confirmed he will not be featuring in The Expendables 4.
Speaking with Parade, Schwarzenegger revealed he turned down the opportunity to reprise his role as Trench Mauser in The Expendables 4, telling co-star and former franchise director/writer Sylvester Stallone he won't be returning. “It’s done and I’m not in it,” he said. Regarding his conversation with Stallone, Schwarzenegger said “I said, ‘You know what, we have done this and I’m out of it.’ And he really understood.”
Schwarzenegger played Trench, the on-again, off-again friend and former teammate of Stallone's Barney Ross, the leader of the Expendables. The Terminator franchise star made an uncredited cameo in 2010's The Expendables, doing it "as a favor to Sly" during his second term as the Governor of California, revealing he shot his scene "for two hours quickly in a church with Bruce Willis." He returned for The Expendables 2 and The Expendables 3 before initially considering coming back for the newest sequel. In 2017, Schwarzenegger said he'd be open to returning if Stallone also featured, though he was unsure of a return at the time because he questioned how much more his character could develop.
The Expendables franchise follows the titular mercenary group taking on various antagonists on world-trotting adventures, boasting a star-studded cast of action stars including Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Jason Statham, Wesley Snipes, Jet Li and Bruce Willis. Additionally, the series has featured notable stars such as Terry Crews, Mickey Rourke, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Ronda Rousey and Randy Couture. The first three installments of the film series have grossed over $809 million at the global box office, with The Expendables 2 standing as its highest earner at $315 million.
What to Expect in The Expendables 4
The Expendables 4 stars Stallone, whose character is in a limited role, alongside Statham's Lee Christmas, the eponymous team's knife expert who will become the focal point of the movie franchise going forward. Dolph Lundgren reprises his role from the previous trilogy as the combative yet pensive Gunner Jensen while Couture once again plays Toll Road, the team's demolitions specialist. Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson and Megan Fox also appear in The Expendables 4 in undisclosed roles.
Meanwhile, Schwarzenegger is promoting his newly-released series, FUBAR, his first scripted live-action show in a leading role. Schwarzenegger stars as a CIA operative who discovers his daughter, played by Top Gun: Maverick's Monica Barbaro, is also in the same line of work, leading him to stave off retirement plans. Debuting on May 25, the action-comedy has received mixed reviews critically.
The Expendables 4 opens in theaters across North America on Sep. 22.
Source: Parade