Over at Sylvester Stallone Fan site StalloneZone (a website that totally, actually exists), Craig Zablo reportedly received confirmation from Stallone that the forthcoming Expendables 2 would be rated R – directly contradicting his earlier explanation that the movie would be both PG-13 and “large.”
It was a short but direct statement from Stallone: “After taking in all the odd rumors and hearsay, EXPENDABLES II is an R”(his emphasis).
And there are 3 ways to take that.
- They were shooting for PG-13 (possibly because of Chuck Norris’s weird sense of prudishness) but the outcry has made them rethink it.
- Stallone was playing an odd game of misdirection with his earlier comment in an attempt to lower the bar/piss off potential fans.
- A fan site is fanning flames with a false comment.
The first makes the most sense. At any rate, something has made them rethink making a mature action movie fit firmly into a ratings box reserved for adults. The second option seems absurd given that his original statement not only claims the PG-13 rating but tries to explain it with the knowledge that fans would be up in arms. The third could be true, but StalloneZone has actually proven itself to be fairly well connected to the actor/writer/director/bench presser. So, who knows. And who cares? Anyone who sees nothing wrong with a bunch of dudes fighting and blowing shit up being able to say “Fuck” or show some blood doing it. That’s who.