'It's a bunch of mugs having a good time and just kicking each other around,' he tells MTV News.
By Fallon Prinzivalli, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Sylvester Stallone
Photo: MTV News

Earlier this month, the explosion-filled, firearm-packed trailer for "The Expendables 2" premiered, showing the A-list cast — including Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis — kicking some serious ass.

When MTV News spoke to Stallone at CinemaCon 2012, the action star told us the sequel raises the stakes, mostly due to the all-star cast.

"We do up the ante. We have a bit more money," he said. "When people go in there, at first they say, 'Well, it's not [Robert De Niro's] "Deer Hunter." ' And I say, 'Of course, it's not "Deer Hunter." It's a bunch of mugs having a good time and just kicking each other around.' It's male pattern badness.

"And this one here, because of Arnold, Bruce, [Jean-Claude] Van Damme and the addition of Liam Hemsworth, we all try to capitalize on sort of the baggage we bring. You know, we have certain catchphrases and certain looks and certain things that we've been known for, [especially] Chuck Norris, so we throw it in there and have fun with it. I think this one here is gonna be a bit more enjoyable. The scope is quite a bit larger."

The sequel follows Barney Ross' (Stallone) return when Mr. Church (Willis) enlists the Expendables for a seemingly easy job. It seems like easy money for the team, but that all changes when one of their crew is brutally murdered. As they seek revenge, they find themselves trapped in enemy territory and up against an unexpected threat.

The other actors starring in the film alongside Stallone include Jason Statham, Jet Li and Terry Crews, — adding to a team that's hardly expendable. But with such a packed cast, where would a third movie go from there? Stallone told us he doesn't yet have another team of thespians in mind for a threequel.

"There's one or two, but there's not enough to do a whole [movie]," he said. "There are guys who are good, but they're not of that ilk. It's very odd that becoming an action guy is kind of like the ugly stepchild, like, 'Oh, you didn't make it.' It's very hard, because if you notice, there's only been about six action guys in my lifetime that have somewhat made it, because it's a very odd, odd combination. Guys have to be somewhat entertaining. It's not about muscles, per se."

"The Expendables 2" is set to hit theaters August 17, and for right now, the only other project on Stallone's plate is the sci-fi thriller "The Tomb." But Stallone said he knows there's another story in his beloved "Rambo" series yet to come.

"There's a volcanic eruption for Rambo. The magma of Rambo is coming to the surface," he said. "I know there is [another story]. You know when you lay down the final culmination of your life and you can articulate it, but also act on it, and he realizes what his destiny really is. And it's not to be a farmer, it's not to be obscure, it's really to go out in a blaze of glory — in a heroic fashion. But is he really doing it for himself or is he doing it because that's just his id? That's just who he is?"

Check out everything we've got on "The Expendables 2."

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