Movies - TV
The Reason Arnold Schwarzenegger Walked Away From The Expendables Franchise
By MATTHEW BILODEAU
In the three “The Expendables” movies that have been released, Arnold Schwarzenegger never really had a substantial role despite being one of the biggest names in the cast. While this might be understandable in such a star-studded ensemble, Schwarzenegger decided not to return as Trench for the fourth movie despite his love for the franchise.
Schwarzenegger only had a small cameo in the first movie as he was still the Governor of California at the time, and despite not being of the main team members in“The Expendables 2” he did have some fun scenes. In the third movie, however, the actor told Entertainment Weekly that he felt like his character wasn’t written well and that he didn’t have “[...] any value in the movie.”
When it seemed that Sylvester Stallone would leave the franchise at one point, Schwarzenegger had told Vanity Fair that “there is no Expendables without Sly...I would never do the movie without him, no." However, even though Stallone ended up staying, it was Schwarzenegger that ultimately left due to the lack of development of his character.