Terminator 4 is still chugging away with its ups (Christian Bale as John Connor) and its downs (McG as director) and it looks like we’ve hit another snag, maybe. “Maybe” because I can’t quite decide just how bad this will be for the film. Halycon, the studio working the latest Terminator movie, has announced plans to clean things up on screen:

“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.”

E-gad, Brain. Okay, okay, when I first heard this news I was shaking my fist in the air, but then it was pointed out that Live Free or Die Hard was only PG-13 unlike its previous three R-rated films and I still loved it. So I guess there is potential for it to be okay. I’m just not convinced that a movie about machines trying to slaughter all living things is ideal for PG-13.

Hmm, I wonder why the studio is considering a lower rating… oh yeah! Money!

“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?”

Discuss: Can Terminator 4 still be a “compelling film” even at PG-13?

Source: Variety