The main hook of The Expendables movies was always its cast, with audiences turning out to see the world’s biggest action stars collide for R-rated shenanigans. Across three films, Sylvester Stallone managed to bring together genre icons like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Wesley Snipes, and Jason Statham, to name a few. One actor who missed out on the action was Steven Seagal, although, according to Stallone, he reportedly “begged” to be part of the franchise, to no avail.
In an interview with The Rest Is Entertainment podcast (via The Playlist), Stallone was asked about Seagal’s absence from The Expendables franchise. The actor immediately pushed back after being told that Seagal has gone on record stating that he had rejected offers to appear in the movies, remarking:
“Puhleasse, please! Let’s just say he was not invited to that party.”
“Oh my god, really? He turned us down? How about I say he was begging, begging, to be in it. Begging, begging. […] I shouldn’t get involved with it, but it’s like, why lie like that?”
Stallone went on to claim that he’s “got nothing against Steven; we’ve had our moments,” before adding, “I don’t even know if he does action films anymore; I think he lives in Russia.”
Back in 2024, Seagal explained why he didn’t star in The Expendables, telling Big Issue that he “didn’t like some of the people involved.” Whether Stallone is one of those people is unclear, although a 2009 report claimed that Seagal nixed an offer to cameo in the first Expendables because producer Avi Lerner was involved, with a source claiming there was “too much bad blood between them.” Stallone confirmed as much during a 2010 Howard Stern interview.
Also, in 2013, Stallone tweeted that he had “just talked to STEVEN S. in Moscow …Sounds great and says he wants to be in EX3, if the part fits….” Which, you know, could have been when Seagal begged Stallone to be part of the action franchise.
The Expendables franchise launched in 2010 with the eponymous R-rated first movie. It was a box office hit, leading to two immediate sequels in 2012 and 2014, the latter of which was PG-13. After a lengthy hiatus, the franchise returned in 2023 with Expend4bles, which was a critical and commercial failure. A female-led spinoff is currently in development.
Would you have liked to see Steven Seagal in an Expendables movie? Is there any chance that this franchise can be successful again? Tell us down in the comments with your Disqus account!
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