Bruce Willis did not reprise his role as Mr. Church in The Expendables 2 in helping Barney Ross and his band of mercenaries defeat Jean Vilain and avenge their fallen comrade, Billy "The Kid." With Mr. Church's influence gradually increasing throughout the franchise, it was surprising when Willis didn't return for The Expendables 3.
Mr. Church is a mysterious CIA agent who first meets Sylvester Stallone's Barney Ross in a church during the setup for Expendables twist, Mr. Church takes these words to heart and he and Arnold Swarzeneggar's Trench Ma accompany Ross in the third act of The Expendables 2 and help him bring down Jean Vilain. Church is then totally absent from The Expendables 3, with Harrison Ford's Max Drummer replacing him as a more straightforward good guy.
The main theory as to why Willis did not return for The Expendables 3 has to do with money. Reportedly (via The Hollywood Reporter) Willis was due to make 3 million dollars in a four-day shoot in Bulgaria, but he demanded an extra million for his troubles. Sylvester Stallone, at the helm of the project that had a 100 million dollar budget, refused to budge and Willis was replaced by Ford within 72 hours. Stallone went on to raise some eyebrows after a tweet of his appeared to brand Willis as "greedy and lazy."
Why Expendables 3 Was Worse Without Bruce Willis' Mr. Church
Unfortunately for Sylvester Stallone, Expendables 3 is largely considered the worst movie of the franchise, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 32%. Although the absence of Bruce Willis and his wisecracking, shadowy Mr. Church isn't the sole reason for this, it certainly has a big impact. Mr. Church is an intriguing and somewhat unpredictable character, who only fully sides with The Expendables at the end of The Expendables 2. That friendship is still fragile, with Bruce Willis perfectly portraying the ambiguous shades of the character. Max Drummer, on the other hand, has a much less dramatic relationship with Barney Ross and the team, which is much harder to get excited about.
The Expendables 3 also suffers from not staying true to its roots. The Expendables series is the ultimate combination of some of cinema's most beloved action heroes playing exaggerated versions of themselves: Die Hard and Chuck Norris even tells a Chuck Norris joke about a snake that died in agony after biting him. The Expendables 3 also focuses a lot of its attention on a new team of younger, lesser-known mercenaries. Although some of these characters, such as Ronda Rousey's Luna, can fight well, they are not the characters who make the Expendables what it is. Some would also argue that The Expendables 3 suffers for abandoning its R-rated action for a PG-13 rating more palatable for wider release.
Ultimately, losing Bruce Willis cost The Expendables 3 more than the extra million they could have paid him. Mr. Church has a captivating presence on screen and The Expendables 4, Stallone and his team must find a replacement for Bruce Willis who recaptures the essence of what made Mr. Church so fun to watch.
