The Expendables 3 rating is going to be PG-13. That was also what The Expendables 2 was supposed to be until fan backlash caused Sylvester Stallone to rethink things. See, Stallone said at Cannes that he wants to make the movie Rated PG-13 because he owes it to “the next generation.”

“We want to reach as many people as possible,” Stallone said. “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.”

See, Stallone is telling his fans that he wants kids to see the action stars from yesteryear, and that is why he is keeping the rating at PG-13. What does this mean for hardcore fans of the first two movies? Less cursing and a few less exploding bodies.

Expendables 3 rating

Expendables 3 / Lionsgate

Let’s be honest here. The Expendables franchise has made $580 million between the first two movies, which is damn good for Rated R movies. However, making the movies PG-13 gives Stallone and the studio chance to make a lot more money. That is, if you can get kids to pay their money to see senior citizens blowing things up.

So, who is in the third Expendables movie? Well, we get the old crew – Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren and Randy Couture, all of which appeared in both of the first two movies. Then we get Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, Antonio Banderas, Wesley Snipes, Kelsey Grammer, Kellen Lutz, Ronda Rousey and Victor Ortiz.

So, yeah, action movie fans my age will probably line up for The Expendables 3 just to see names like Snipes, Banderes, Gibson and Ford all acting side-by-side. Kids might like to see Lutz and UFC fans might come for Rousey and Couture, but the audience won’t improve all that much with Expendables 3 rating a PG-13. If anything, some people might stay away when they think there will be less carnage.

For more information, visit The Expendables 3 official website.