Bruce Willis walked away from The Expendables 3 after Sylvester Stallone refused his demands for a $1m (£644.9k) a day wage, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Willis was offered $3m (£1.9m) for four days of work to return as Mr Church for the latest instalment in Stallone's ensemble 1980s action throwback saga, but wanted $4m (£2.5m), according to a "source with knowledge of the situation". Producers balked at the fee and swiftly hired Harrison Ford as a replacement, a move which was subsequently hailed as something of a coup for the series.

Stallone made headlines yesterday after labelling Willis "greedy and lazy" on Twitter, before suggesting that such behaviour was "a sure formula for career failure". Ford will join fellow newcomers Jackie Chan, Nicolas Cage and Wesley Snipes, as well as the returning Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Statham and Mickey Rourke for part three.

The insider told the Hollywood Reporter: "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." Willis himself has yet to make any public comment on the high-profile spat.

The Expendables 3 reportedly has a budget of $90m (£58m), with the first two instalments having taken a combined $574m (£370m) worldwide. It will hit cinemas in August 2014.