After having put out films that have felt far too unnecessarily dramatic or bordered on too much of a comedic presentation, Sylvester Stallone is claiming that he and his nostalgic dose of an all-star cast have finally gotten the formula right for The Expendables 3. And considering that the third time is usually the charm, it at first seemed reasonable to believe Sly. He seems aware that while the idea of a bunch of iconic action stars from back in the day all coming together in one franchise is awesome, the movies haven’t really lived up to their potential. In Sly we trust?
Well, maybe not. In addition to addressing fans of the franchise that a perfect balance of drama and comedy for the tone has been stricken, Stallone also mentioned that The Expendables 3 would come with a rating of PG-13 (an announcement that probably sucked the life out of whatever room it was made in) According to Stallone, the intention is to reach the widest audience possible, which realistically speaking means they want the most money possible.
“We want to reach as many people as possible,” said Sly. “It’s very close to an R, believe me, it’s right there. But I think we owe it to the next generation. We thought we’d join that club for a while.”
While it shouldn’t surprise anyone, the decision isn’t exactly going over well with fans. There is already a Facebook group composed of moviegoers set on boycotting the film. What’s most interesting about the situation, however, is that initially The Expendables 2 was slated for a PG-13 release until fan backlash put an end to that. It’s still very possible that The Expendables 3 can undergo some changes during post-production and receive an R rating, too, but unfortunately that outcome doesn’t seem as likely this time around, with Stallone having already having confirmed that the plan is to create something for a broader audience.
Suddenly, The Expendables 3 just became expendable for the summer blockbuster season.