Anatomy of the EX2 Plot, Possible Spoiler!

We have made an attempt to predict the plot of the EX2 by drawing conclusions based on clues gathered from some details of the plot revealed by Lundgren in the interview he gave in Japan (details here), set photos that were released in early October when Schwarzenegger, Willis and Norris shot their scenes, the official synopsis, Stallone’s interview with ET, and the teaser trailer. This is pure speculation on our part and is not the official plot of EX2 in any shape or form. It might be long but worth the read for hard core fans.

Opening Scene:

Clues: according to Lundgren, in the opening scene Schwarzenegger is rescued by the EX team in Burma. On his first day on set Schwarzenegger shot his scenes in a prisoner outfit and had bruises on his face, signs he was beaten. The scenes were shot in the studio, so they were obviously apart from the scenes he shot at the airport where he was wearing his Hawaiian shirt and military jacket. Plus in the trailer we can clearly see that the airport is in an Eastern European country, so the airport scenes are not related to where the rescue mission in Burma takes place. 

Further according to Lundgren it is after the rescue mission of Schwarzenegger that Willis sends the EX team on a new mission. The Willis/Stallone scene in the trailer is after the rescue in Burma. Willis stayed a day longer after Schwarzenegger left to possibly shoot his scene in the suit.

Li did not film in Bulgaria and will only shoot his scenes in China for a couple of weeks at best. He is probably not part of Willis’s mission that would take place in Eastern Europe. The scenes in China are possibly the ones where the EX team fights the Burmese bad guys to rescue Schwarzenegger. There were action scenes shot in Bulgaria with Asian stunts, they were most likely related to the rescue scenes in Burma as well.

Lundgren confirmed on his Facebook that he will be shooting in China: “Wrapped the Bulgaria shoot for "The Expendables 2" after two long gruelling months, filming will resume in China around mid-January...”

Van Damme has informed his fan site VanDammeFanz.com that he won’t be shooting in China.

The scenes in China are most likely independent from Willis’s mission in Eastern Europe, from Van Damme and the villains who kill the EX member(s).

Conclusion: the opening scene is where the EX team - Li, Stallone, Lundgren, and possibly Crews & Couture rescue Schwarzenegger from prison in Burma (we have to wait to see if they’ll shoot in China, plus the last four were first to start shooting in Bulgaria for a few days without Statham).

Closing Scene:

Clues: Stallone told ET that he was saved by the big guys (assuming he meant Schwarzenegger, Willis and maybe Norris). 

According to the official synopsis “things go wrong” on the new mission orchestrated by Willis and one of the EXs is “savagely killed”. 

In the trailer Willis says to Stallone that he could have put him in a whole (doesn’t say he saved him from one) but chose not to because he knew there’d be a time he could use him. So the Willis/Stallone scene possibly takes place before things go wrong, before one of the EXs is killed, and before the saving mission of Stallone and his team.

Schwarzenegger and Willis share a scene with Norris that is comparable to the one they had with Stallone in the prequel (according to Lundgren).

This is possibly when the three decide to send Norris first to help the EX team after things go wrong. Norris shot more scenes than the other two and had photos with the EX gang in an old Eastern European looking town; he obviously spends more time with the EXs during their mission than the other two. 

Conclusion: Norris’s help probably won’t be enough to save Stallone and his team so Schwarzenegger and Willis decide to join the mission (this is possibly what Stallone meant in his interview with ET). This is where the big final battle scene is shot at the airport with the big guys and the remainder of the EX team fighting side by side to defeat the villains.

Which EXs are killed?

For reasons given previously, we don’t think it's Li. He is probably part of the opening rescue mission in Burma and later on declines to follow the EXs in the new mission ordered by Willis. Plus killing him will not sit well with the Asian audiences and studios are banking a lot on the Asian market for this movie.

It couldn’t be Statham, Lundgren or Crews, all three shot scenes at the airport for the final battle.

For obvious reasons, it won’t be Stallone.

They won’t kill a woman so it won’t be Nan either and there were pictures of her too at the airport.

There is still the possibility of Rourke appearing in the movie and being the member who is savagely killed, and remember the very first plot that was rejected by Stallone had Rourke as the member who was killed. Even though Rourke stated that he was not in the movie, later he mentioned in an interview that he might do a cameo in a movie but he couldn’t tell. This could be it and would be a huge surprise to create hype. Van Damme holds an EX knife in the trailer, it could be Rourke’s, but it could also be Stallone’s or Statham’s, so hard to take this clue as basis to predict who is killed.

If Rourke is not the guy, then we think Hemsworth is the first EX to die. He did not shoot any scenes at the airport nor in the old town with Norris, as a matter of fact he arrived on set after Norris left. It is probably after he is killed that Norris joins the EXs to help them. Noel who plays his wife flew late to shoot a couple of scenes, probably in which Stallone tells her how sorry he is and gives her some personal stuff left by her husband. Last clue, when he joined the cast, an Australian news site reported from his agent that he was to replace Rourke.

West had also mentioned that a few good guys would die in the movie. So we think the next EX to die is Couture. He was not seen in any pictures at the airport but was seen with the EXs in the old town. He possibly dies before the final battle of the airport. He is also billed after Crews which was not the case in the first movie. He probably has fewer scenes than Crews.

Crews or Lundgren could also die during the final battle but we don’t have enough clues to support the theory.

We rest our case here, and think no matter what the real plot will be EX2 will be grandiose. Bon soir a tous...