Stallone Says Seagal Begged for Expendables Role

Sylvester Stallone says Steven Seagal pushed to appear in The Expendables, while Seagal claims he turned the part down.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Action/Adventure

Stallone Says Seagal Begged for Expendables Role

Sylvester Stallone said Steven Seagal was begging to be in The Expendables, a claim Seagal disputes by saying he turned down a role in the franchise. Stallone made the remarks on The Rest is Entertainment podcast in response to host Marina Hyde, and said Seagal was not invited to the party.

Why it matters

The dispute offers a rare public look at casting tensions within the long-running action franchise, which spans four movies. It also highlights the contrasting accounts of two action stars whose careers have diverged in recent years.

Steven Seagal has not appeared in a movie since 2019, and his output over the past two decades has largely consisted of direct-to-video action films. The Expendables franchise spans four movies, but the stub does not establish which installments, if any, Seagal was offered.

The players

Sylvester Stallone

Action star and creator of The Expendables franchise, known for the Rocky and Rambo films.

Steven Seagal

Action actor known for direct-to-video films in recent decades, who is set to return in Order of the Dragon, which does not yet have a release date.

The details

Stallone made the remarks on The Rest is Entertainment podcast when responding to host Marina Hyde. Stallone said there is no bad blood between him and Seagal, while Seagal's account is that he declined a part in the franchise.

Article on Stallone's podcast remarks on Seagal published November 6, 2026

Season Trajectory

Seagal's recent work has largely been direct-to-video action films rather than theatrical franchise releases. His planned return in Order of the Dragon, which has no release date, places him in contrast with the four-film Expendables series.

Viewers wanting to see Seagal's next project will have to wait, since Order of the Dragon does not have a release date. The Expendables films remain the franchise's available installments.

The takeaway

Casting disputes in long-running action franchises often come down to competing accounts, and readers should weigh both the franchise star's and the actor's versions as the stub presents them.