It looks as is after joining the “Expendables” macho universe for the franchise’s second outing, Chuck Norris – the lone wolf – will remain just that and has announced he won’t be appearing in the already-planned The Expendables 3.
In an interview with Access Hollywood, the aging king of martial arts camp expressed little desire to go at it with Stallone and pals for a third round.
“Nope. Just number 2. This is it for me. Oh, yeah. This is very special. Just to be able to do the film with guys I’ve known for many, many years. To get a chance to get in and fight with them, it was a lot of fun. Plus getting a chance to meet Terry Crews, who I hadn’t met before and Jason Statham, whom I hadn’t met before. It was fun just to do that.”
The interview certainly didn’t glean much insight into the particulars which would fail to have Norris return, but with producer Avi Lerner already courting more tough guys for The Expendables 3 (which include an already-signed Nicolas Cage as well as Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford and Wesley Snipes), retaining the entire original cast and then adding in a slew more players could mean testosterone overload for the already-large ensemble.
Additionally, Norris was quite vocal regarding the hard-R rating these films carry, not to mention his staunch criticism of the film’s language which earlier in the year brought about rumours that The Expendables 2 would be released with a neutering PG-13 rating. Certainly Norris can’t be too picky with his roles considering he’s only appeared in a handful of TV movies since Walker Texas Ranger ended in 2001. But when you’ve been kicking ass since 1968, a little peace and quiet is entirely deserved.
We’ll be sure to keep you posted on everything The Expendables 3 as details continue to be released.
