Posted in: Lionsgate, Movies | Tagged: Antonio Banderas, expendables, Expendables 4, film, lionsgate

Expend4bles Director on Missing Antonio Banderas

The director of Expend4bles is sharing more details about how the absence of Antonio Banderas led to the inclusion of a new character.

Expend4bles is currently in theaters, and while it includes an all-star action-heavy cast at its core, there's at least one fan favorite who couldn't return for the new entry—the always iconic Antonio Banderas. Fortunately, the film's director shares a few details about why he didn't appear in the movie and how it offered an opportunity for a new character.

Antonio Banderas' Expend4bles Absence Led to the Introduction of His Character's Son

During a recent interview promoting the release of the newest chapter of the Expendables franchise, the film's director, Scott Waugh, first addressed the unavoidable absence of Banderas by telling the publication, "Look, actor availability is always difficult when you have this many celebrities. So, that character was originally written for Antonio, but Antonio's availability didn't allow him to be in the movie. So I didn't want to get rid of that dialogue and that character because it was so quintessential to the comedic moments. And so we came up with this idea of, 'What about if it's his son?' And so we could still have the same vibe as Antonio, but a little bit different. He is not replicating Antonio. So that's when [actor] Jacob Scipio came in and really kind of brought that character to life. And I think he does a great job in the movie."

In 2014, when discussing his involvement in the third Expendables installment, Banderas discussed how the actor's role first came to fruition, telling Den of Geek, "Well, it was Sly, he called me one day, and he said he was going to send me the material and the script and just to read it and review the character for him. But immediately, even before I read it, he said, 'Listen, Antonio, if you want to change something, if you wanna just give me your opinion and even write something new for the character, just do it.'"

Maybe one day we'll get to see Banderas reprise his popular character along with his newly introduced Expendables son? Anything can happen!

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