‘The Expendables 2′ To Get A PG-13 Rating? Blame Chuck Norris!

Fans of 2010′s The Expendables loved the combo of over-the-top action, language that would make a truck driver blush and the uniting of some of Hollywood’s biggest action stars, including Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, Jet Li and Dolph Lundgren.  All this came with, much to the relief of many filmgoers who like their action less watered-down than what Hollywood has been spewing out as of late, an R-Rating.  It’s no secret that studios often push filmmakers (and sometimes contractually obligate them) to deliver a much more ticket-friendly PG-13 rating in order to attract younger males to the theater.  It was assumed when The Expendables 2 was announced that fans would get even more R-Rated action from an increasingly growing list of stars.  One such star added to the list, however, just might be the cause for the film to go for a much softer tone.

Chuck Norris recently sat down with Polish news outlet Gazeta to talk about his concerns with the language in the film.  He said, “In The Expendables 2, there was a lot of vulgar dialogue in the screenplay.  For this reason, many young people wouldn’t be able to watch this.  But I don’t play in movies like this,” Norris explained.  “Due to that I said I won’t be a part of that if the hardcore language is not erased.  Producers accepted my conditions and the movie will be classified in the category of PG-13.”

It’s unclear if Chuck Norris’ star power is strong enough to push for a PG-13 rating on a sequel to an R-Rated film, but it may not have been that tough a decision for the studio.  The added number of ticket sales from underage action fans may supersede any that may be lost from those looking for R-Rated fare.  Plus, like most of the MPAA, Norris seems more concerned with the language in the script rather than the heavy amounts of violence that we will most likely see in the film, so it may not be too much of a jolt for the hard-core action fans.  We’ll just have to wait and see once the film is completed and submitted to the MPAA.  Until then, if your Polish is up to par, you can check out the full interview here.

The Expendables opens August 17th and stars Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Liam Hemsworth, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger.