Any movie with a title like The Expendables is one you figure wouldn’t be worried about having its main characters survive until the end. However, it seems that the suits behind the film are thinking far beyond the end credits of The Expendables – they’re thinking franchi$e opportunity.
NOLA.com recently visited the New Orleans set of The Expendables to talk with Sylvester Stallone and Co. about the non-stop action, big explosions and crew of muscle-heads that are the prime ingredients of The Expendables. In the midst of the interview, producer Avi Lerner let it be known that if the film clicks with audiences, we can expect more to come :
Definitely. We already have got some ideas about ‘Expendables No. 2,’ ‘No. 3,’ …Definitely, it’s a franchise movie.
Another textbook answer from the Hollywood Producer School of Pre-promotion: it’s never too early to start hyping your next film. Actor Terry Crews (who has a role as one of The Expendables) added to Lerner’s claim by stating he too would love to see a sequel or two (”The Renegotiables”) happen. LOL.
Seriously though, The Expendables has sounded like a golden idea (to me at least) ever since it was announced. A violent movie with a cast of tough-guys and action stars? Who wouldn’t like that? However, since the film has been in production there’s been rumor that it could get neutred down to PG-13 (a death knell for a film like this) and now talk of cranking out sequels before the first one has even made a red cent? Although, if they TRULY want to pay homage to 80s and 90s action films, then they should already be planning The Expendables parts II, III, IV, V, VI, VII…
Sly to the MPAA: Try making THIS PG-13!
On a tangential note, check out this funny quote from Stallone about the kind of cast they’ve gathered for the film:
We’ve got some tough men in this movie…I mean some bad-asses, trust me. The extras — you think I’m joking? — we’ve got extras in this movie that could conquer countries. I went to Brazil and got the baddest, toughest mercenary group… It’s staggering. Every one of them would just take all of us and snap us like spaghetti — and they’re extras.”
ROFLMAO! Brazilian mercenaries for extras??? Now that is what I call “an action movie!”
You HAVE to read NOLA.com’s full story about their visit to The Expendables set. It is truly a hilarious read. The operative word for this film (based on NOLA’s article): OVERKILL. Just like real action fans are chomping for. Screw that PG-13 crap!
You can read the full story here. Then come back and let us know what you think.
The Expendables kicks, stabs and shoots into theaters on April 23, 2010.
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