It’s no secret that Steven Seagal is a controversial figure who had many quarrels and fights with other action stars, such as Van Damme. And it is precisely this hostility and unwillingness to get along with the Belgian that is the main stumbling block that prevents him from appearing in the film “The Untouchables” – a saga created by Sylvester Stallone as a tribute to colleagues in the guild. According to Seagal himself, there are people in these films that he doesn’t like, meaning familiar faces such as Jean-Claude Van Damme himself and producer Avi Lerner.
In an interview with Big Issue Media in 2014, when “The Expendables 3” will soon be released, Seagal told why he never appeared in the film of this blockbuster saga created by Stallone. In fact, the actor claimed that he did not like many of the people who starred in these films. He limited himself to “naming sin”, but not “sinner”, avoiding naming specific names.
But even if he did not name names, considering his past problems with Jean-Claude Van Damme and knowing that the Belgian participated in the second part, released in 2012, it does not seem far-fetched to think that the main character did not want to cross Van Damme’s path. .
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And then this feeling was mutual, since JCVD vetoed Steven Seagal in “The Expendables 2” if he wanted Sylvester Stallone to count on him.
Another reason that would make him not even consider the possibility of appearing in the saga at all could be strong rumors about the return of JCVD as a new villain in the future film “The Unstoppable”. His character in “The Expendables 2” was Jean Villen, and the actor joked that he “may return” as his twin brother named Claude Villen, referring to both his own name and twin brothers as a recurring theme in his filmography.
Avi Lerner, Seagal’s Other Big Enemy
Another person involved in the Expendables films that Seagal is angry at is producer Avi Lerner, who helped finance the first three installments. Lerner had previously worked with Segal on some of his direct-to-video films, but their relationship became strained and the actor went so far as to sue Lerner and his production company, claiming they owed him money. Lerner and his team initially sued the actor because they believed Seagal was interfering with the production of films like The Mercenary and Today You Die.
These were direct-to-video feature films released in the 2000s, much in the vein of other productions by former action stars that fell out of favor and were relegated to these lesser projects.
Avi Lerner was a prolific action producer, taking stars such as Van Damme, Seagal himself, Wesley Snipes, Stallone and Dolph Lundgren under his wing. All of these actors, with the exception of Steven Seagal, appeared in at least one part of The Expendables.