Arnold Schwarzenegger confirms he’s not in The Expendables 4

As it turns out, Arnold Schwarzenegger won’t be back for The Expendables 4, despite appearing in the first three as Trent “Trench” Mauser. And no, it has nothing to do with the title being stylized as Expend4bles (Expend-four-bles?).

Speaking with Parade, Arnold Schwarzenegger confirmed that production has wrapped on The Expendables 4 but he has no involvement. “It’s done and I’m not in it,” he said bluntly. He added that he did speak with Sylvester Stallone directly. “I said, ‘You know what, we have done this and I’m out of it.’ And he really understood.”

Although he won’t be in The Expendables 4, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s involvement in the original three showed not only his continued interest in the action genre, but support for his pal Sylvester Stallone, who co-wrote the initial trilogy and directed the first. Arnold only has a cameo in 2010’s original, which he said he “did it as a favor to Sly…I shot it on a Saturday for two hours quickly in a church with Bruce Willis.” From there, he was sort of obligated to the roles–or at least suckered in by Stallone. “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.” Still, Arnold has promised that he and Sly will work together again. They also teamed up for 2013’s Escape Plan.

Stallone, too, has expressed his own interest in departing the franchise, which has grossed over $800 million worldwide–with dwindling domestic returns over the course of its run, as the third entry only took in $39 million domestically. “It’s time to be movin’ on” and think about being “ready to pass the baton on to Jason [Statham] and his capable hands.” With or without Arnold’s involvement, The Expendables 4 is building yet another ensemble cast, including returners Stallone, Statham, Randy Couture, and Dolph Lundgren, who recently revealed his battle with lung cancer. Newcomers Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, and Andy Garcia, have also signed on.

The Expendables 4 bursts to theaters on September 22nd.

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