“Terminator: Dark Fate” is not just a reboot of a beloved franchise, it’s a return to hardcore form that will receive an R rating from the MPAA.
Announced at San Diego Comic Con’s opening Hall H panel on Thursday, the move is a departure from the PG-13 status of recent reboot attempts like “Terminator: Genisys” and “Terminator: Salvation.”
The news excited devout fans in the house at Hall H, signaling that under director Tim Miller this new vision for the Arnold Schwarzenegger franchise will return to its gritty roots.
“It’s because it wasn’t always that way, and the fans kind of demanded it,” Miller said. “The DNA of ‘Terminator’ is an R-rated fucking movie.”
To that end, Miller said he has about 500 takes of star Linda Hamilton saying the word “fuck.”
Ahead of the formal panel, executive producer James Cameron appeared via satellite from the New Zealand set of the “Avatar” sequels to introduce the filmmakers and cast.
“Ill make this quick because people are always whingeing about how long it takes to finish ‘Avatar,’” Cameron joked.
His conditions for coming back to “Terminator” with Paramount and Skydance were two-fold: “Arnold had to be in,” he said, and he wanted to use the blank story canvas to continue the story of Hamilton’s Sarah Connor.
More to come.