For someone that’s been established as one of the most iconic action heroes of all-time, Arnold Schwarzenegger hasn’t starred in anywhere near as many sequels as you might think.
In fact, outside of the Terminator franchise, the only major role he’s ever played more than once is that of Conan, which he hasn’t done for almost 40 years. Of course, he was a regular presence in The Expendables as Trench Mauser, but those were more glorified cameos than full-fledged supporting parts.
With Sylvester Stallone getting the band back together yet again for the fourth installment in the aging ass-kicking saga, many have wondered if his BFF would end up swinging by to continue on where he left off. Unfortunately, Schwarzenegger had some bad news to deliver in an interview with Parade, but his reasons are also entirely valid.
“It’s done and I’m not in it. I said, ‘You know what, we have done this and I’m out of it.’ And [Stallone] really understood. I did the first as a favor to Sly. I shot it on a Saturday for two hours quickly in a church with Bruce Willis. Sly said, ‘Oh, can you do Expendables 2?’ and I did that for a weekend. Then it was expanded for Expendables 3. And that was it. We’re going to do something together one day.”
He’s got a point that having him pop up every single time would lose its novelty and nostalgia value, but the same could be said about The Expendables a whole. Then again, it’s been 10 years since the last one was butchered by a PG-13 rating it really shouldn’t have had, so maybe the geriatric badasses will be back with a point to prove.
