Some potentially worrisome news this week for the follow-up to Sylvester Stallone’s successful revivalist action flick The Expendables… of course, it could also be promising, depending on your point of view. The sequel is still happening and is, in fact, a very high priority over at Millennium Films. However, this week the L.A. Times has learned that Sly is not planning to get back behind the camera again, nor will he be writing the script himself. According to an inside source, he has recently been meeting with directors to take over the franchise. Will this be a smart move, or should Stallone remain the sole creative force behind it?

For a while there, it seemed like Stallone was angling for a new chapter in his career as a director after helming Rocky Balboa, Rambo and The Expendables, but now that he has re-established himself as an actor, directing seems to be less of a priority for him. Perhaps it was only a means to an end. Last month he also signed on to star in Wayne Kramer’s Headshot.

While it might be interesting to see what someone else could bring to an Expendables sequel, I would worry about losing the over-the-top violence and no nonsense machismo that made the first one so much fun. The script for The Expendables 2 has already been written by David Agosto and Ken Kaufman, who also wrote Space Cowboys, another movie that brought together several aging Hollywood bad asses. Of course, he also wrote the comedies In the Army Now, Muppets from Space and Curious George, so it’s hard to say what we might get out of him.

An even more important question is whether or not the loss of Stallone as a director might affect the chances of people like Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger potentially signing on for bigger roles. I think we can all agree that the movie will largely be sold on its cast once again. What do you think, is this good or bad news for The Expendables 2? Who would you like to see direct in place of Stallone?