The "Terminator" franchise is one of the highest grossing R-rated series of all time, with over one billion in grosses to date - still, if it ain't broke, by all means fuck it up is the theory over at Halcyon. They want to widen the audience base for the McG directed film and believe that a lower rating will help facilitate more family-oriented marketing deals (action figures from Playmates and probably some fast-food tie-ins). This made me wonder if there was some new law that toys from R rated films could not be marketed to children. My "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" toys with crushing claw action would seem to belie that notion, but what do I know?

"Our merchandising program will be the largest to date for 'The Terminator,' " said Halcyon co-founder Derek Anderson. A "T4" game is already in the works, and this one won't suck, according to Anderson. "The first three games were all bad." Well, I won't argue with you there.

When asked if an R rating was discussed with distributor Warner Brothers, Anderson said the subject never came up. "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?"

Oh, I don't know, maybe so you won't piss off all the people who expect to see some asses getting kicked when they go to see a movie tagged "The Terminator."

"The ratings have changed," said Halcyon co-founder Victor Kubicek. "The PG-13 has increased in intensity."

This may be true, but still – what is a "Terminator" movie without R-worthy violence? And there should be at least some dirty undertones to the film – the world of John Connor is a dark and scary place, do we really want to see it sanitized for the benefit of a Happy Meal tie-in? Let's just hope that Paul Haggis snuck in enough subtext to please the old "Terminator" fans in the audience – the ones who made that billion dollar total for the first three films possible, by the way.

McG's Terminator loves hugs and chicken McNuggets here.