Bruce Willis wanted $1 million a day to film The Expendables 3, a source with knowledge of the situation.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 58-year-old was offered $3 million for four days of consecutive work . The film will be shooting on location in Bulgaria.
“He said he’d drop out unless he got $4 million,” this source close to the production says. “A million dollars a day. [Sylvester] Stallone and everybody else involved said no.”
After the ordeal with Willis, Stallone reached out to Harrison Ford.
“I think [Willis] was pretty surprised he was replaced in 72 hours by Harrison Ford — a better actor, a much nicer person and a more interesting direction for the film,” the source said.
Stallone blasted Willis on Twitter Tuesday, calling him “greedy and lazy,” which he said was “a sure formula for career failure.” He also said Ford stepping up for the role was “great news.”
Nicolas Cage, Jackie Chan, Wesley Snipes, and Mel Gibson have all been confirmed to join The Expendables 3. Gibson will play the lead villain. The film has also cast UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey in her first major motion picture role. Rousey, who has a championship fight against rival Miesha Tate coming up in December, said the producers have arranged her schedule so that she can train when she isn’t on set.
“I’m leaving soon, and I’m very fortunate that there’s going to be Victor Ortiz and Randy Couture and other fighter-type people there, and I’m going to be able to have my camp come and do everything, so I’m not going to break training for it at all,” she said. Rousey is also in talks to join Fast And Furious 7.
Bruce Willis most recently starred in Red 2, the sequel to the 2010 film. The films were inspired by the limited comic book series of the same name created by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner. The film received mixed reviews from critics, but in May, Lionsgate re-signed writers Jon and Erich Hoeber for a third installment.
The Expendables 3 is set for an August 15, 2014.
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