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Clint Eastwood is a veteran and respected Hollywood star. He is known for films likeA Fistful of Dollars,A Few More Dollars,Cry Macho, and more. The actor is revered as an iconic action star and producers want him to star in their films. One such actor and producer who wanted Eastwood for his films was Sylvester Stallone forThe Expendablesfranchise.
Stallone is himself a well-regarded action star andThe Expendablestrilogy was a celebration of Hollywood’s best action heroes. So Stallone obviously wanted Eastwood in it as well. However, the veteran actor refused to star in the films, all because he wanted another role in the franchise.
Why Didn’t Clint Eastwood Want To Star InThe ExpendablesFranchise?
Several well-known actors starred in Sylvester Stallone’sThe Expendablesfilms. This included Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Wesley Snipes, and more. However, Stallone wanted to get another icon for his big-budget event film-Clint Eastwood. When Eastwood was asked by Extra TV if he could see himself starring in Stallone’s action films, he had said,“Probably not.”
Read More:Sylvester Stallone Was Furious Despite Taking Nearly $50 Million Salary for His $1.7 Billion Worth Rocky Franchise
As for Stallone, he knew that the chances of getting the legendary action hero were slim. He said,“Well, you know Clint is so involved with what he’s doing, so that’s kind of a pipe dream.”However, Eastwood clarified that he would have loved to joinThe Expendablesin a more creative and leadership capacity. He had said,“I’m probably more apt to direct something. Maybe I’ll direct Expendables 3,”
It would have been amazing to see a man with decades of experience starring in some of the most well-regarded action films directingThe Expendables 3. But Eastwood admittedly wasn’t familiar with the action franchise at all. As per Clint Eastwood,“I haven’t had the opportunity to see [The Expendables] yet. I haven’t read any material.”Ultimately, the third film inThe Expendablesfranchise was directed by Patrick Hughes.
Read More:“Another project I’ll work for free”: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Son Begs 92 Year Old Clint Eastwood to Hire Him for Final Film While Son-in-Law Chris Pratt Charges Millions
SylvesterStallone On Handpicking The Best ForThe Expendables
In an interview with Collider,Sylvester Stallonewas asked about why he specifically decided to bring together the heavyweight action heroes of this generation and the one before. To this Stallone replied that he wanted to create an event likeTheAvengersmovies. The star said:
“Because they’re one of a kind – to get them all together is very, very rare. Life takes us all down very different paths, so to get them together is an event. That’s the key word: an event. We’re trying to make an ‘event movie’. Just like The Avengers, why is it so great? Because you’re bringing all these characters together.”
Read More:“None of us had any money”: Jon Hamm Reveals He Followed Sylvester Stallone’s ‘P*rnographic Career’ Before Amassing $45M Fortune from ‘Mad Men’ Success
Stallone also talked about how much he respects action stars because according to him it is the one genre that demands the most and is the most challenging. He said:
“The hardest thing is to find an action star. I don’t give a damn what anyone says, stars, they come and go. An action star, you can count on one hand, because it’s a very interesting element. And I think all these guys have that potential, otherwise they wouldn’t be here. And they all blend.”
WhileThe Expendablestrilogy is done, it’s an ever-expanding film franchise withThe Expendables 4set to release soon. However, Eastwood isn’t listed as a cast member in that as well. But action film fans can’t help but hope that Sylvester Stallone and Clint Eastwood will one day share screen space.
The Expendables 4will be released on July 26, 2025.
Source:ColliderandExtra TV
Ishita Chatterjee
Content Writer
Articles Published :751
Ishita is an Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows, with over 700 articles published. She has been working in the entertainment and pop-culture niche for more than 4 years. With a English Literature degree, Ishita generally covers news and analyses on Foundation, Ted Lasso, Severance, and more.A lifelong DC fan, Ishita spends her time watching and re-watching everything in the DC universe (yes, even including the Arrowverse shows).
