In addition to bringing back the action stars of the past, The Expendables series has also prided itself in bringing back the bloody, R-rated violence of the films of the '80s. Well, apparently that is soon changing for The Expendables 3.
During a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival, star/writer/producer Sylvester Stallone confirmed the softer rating for the sequel, as Deadline notes that he said, "“We want to reach as many people as possible… I think we owe it to the next generation.”
Despite this, he did note that, "it's very close to an R, believe me, it's right there."
For a short period of time, there was talk that The Expendables 2 would also be PG-13 due to concerns star Chuck Norris had, but that was quickly shut down by Stallone at the time.
In addition to his comments on the film's rating, Stallone also commented on his approach towards this sequel and how it differs from the first two. He stated, "With the first one, I didn’t know which direction to go. It was experimental, more dramatic and heavier. In the second one, I think we went too far in the comedy and one liners. (For the third film) I realized we should get back to being more dramatic. When men and women know each other, there’s a kind of human comedy, not jokes, but when the action starts I don’t like to do jokes. So, I believe we finally got it right on the third one. It’s kind of like marriage.”
Response to the film's new rating has not been very kind by the fans thus far, as there is already a Facebook group boycotting the movie if it does not have an R-rating attached to it.
Of course, with the film not hitting theaters until August 15 and no official MPAA rating currently in place, it is very possible that Stallone could change his mind and just go with an R-rating again. Unless that happens, however, fans should expect to see a PG-13 Expendables at the end of the summer.