Suggesting that the fourth Expendables movie he recently bailed on must have been a real triumph of suck, Sylvester Stallone has announced that he’ll be returning to his franchise duties on Escape Plan 3. If that title provokes a series of questions—“Was there already an Escape Plan 2?” “Was there already an Escape Plan 1?!”—it’s understandable. The franchise’s first film was only a modest success, pairing Stallone with Arnold Schwarzenegger as they attempted to execute some kind of “prison break.” And the second—which Schwarzenegger skipped out on, and in which Stallone reportedly only had a supporting role—has only just finished shooting.
Nevertheless, Stallone has assured EP fans that he’ll be reprising his role as security expert Ray Breslin as the series makes a desperate bid for trilogy-dom. Miles Chapman, who wrote the previous films, will return with a new script, while Escape Plan 2 helmer Steven C. Miller will direct.