TERMINATOR 4 Going To Be PG-13?

Variety have reported that the next instalment in the Terminator franchise, Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins (or has it lost that title now - I can’t remember) which is being directed by McG and stars Christian Bale as John Connor, is going to be aiming for a rating of PG-13 (which is kinda like the UK’s 12 cinema rating) when it’s released as opposed to the R rating that the previous movies had (or 18 if you prefer the BBFC’s rating system to the MPAA’s).

According to Variety the producers, Halycon Co, want to be able to market the hell out of the movie:

“The ratings have changed,” said Halcyon co-founder and co-CEO Victor Kubicek, a broker-turned-writer-producer. “The PG-13 has increased in intensity.”

Move follows last year’s “Die Hard” film, “Live Free or Die Hard,” which went out with a PG-13 after three prior R-rated installments. That pic went on to gross $382.1 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing in the series.

A family-friendly rating opens many doors, including a “Terminator Salvation” licensing deal for action figures with Playmates Toys.

“Our merchandising program will be the largest to date for ‘The Terminator,’ ” said Halcyon co-founder and co-CEO Derek Anderson, ex-owner of ad agency In the Mix, who adds that he had not discussed the possibility of an R-rating with Warners. “We won’t force it. We are carrying on in the tradition of the mythology, with an exciting approach to the action. If we can make a compelling film to reach the widest audience, why wouldn’t we do it?”

Riiiight. So it’s all about the money, screw the actual outcome of the movie?

I’ve got to be honest, I enjoyed Die Hard 4.0, but then I only saw it on DVD with the “harder” version so I can’t really comment on the PG-13 version, but still, if indeed T4 is going to be about the future war and the machines trying to wipe out humanity then how the hell is that going to look as PG-13? All the deaths occurring off screen? Characters getting shot to hell with lasers that don’t penetrate clothes, never mind skin? Terminators who don’t slice out their eyes or cut open their arms to repair themselves?

Sheesh.

To be fair, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is made for TV and still managed to have some quite gruesome moments so I suppose all the things we would expect in a movie about the future war might just be in there, but I can’t help but think that this might just be the final nail in the coffin of this movie. In fact, all the hope I had after Christian Bale was cast in the role of John Connor is fast eroding!

[Source - Variety]

Posted on Wednesday, May 7th, 2008 at 4:02 pm under Movie News by Gareth.
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