Read on for Sid Shuman's full Q&A with McG, and also check out our updated impressions of the .
So, wow. Based on , it looks like you might pull this thing off. That's only my opinion, speaking as a major fan of Terminator.
Well, I'm you. I grew up on Terminator and I wouldn't want to see a sh*tty film. I know that it's the privilege of the audience to be skeptical of the guy who made Charlie's Angels, but I would counter that as a filmmaker you do what's right for any given project. I want to get away from being the cheerleader and let the film speak for itself.
If Terminator Salvation succeeds in reinvigorating the franchise, would you be interested in trying out an picture? That's another classic sci-fi series that could desperately use a new perspective...
I hadn't thought of it! Who knows...It's funny that you mention that, boy would I like to see somebody like [Watchmen director] Zach Snyder say, "hey, I'm doing the new !" Guys like you and I would say, "holy sh*t!" You know what I mean?
You've talked a bit about the possibility of PG-13 versus R ratings for Terminator Salvation. Have you tip-toed any closer to a final decision on the film's rating?
We've given zero thought to the rating. There's no way Christian Bale would tolerate that - you can't tell Bale to "do it this way" to hit a particular rating. We just make the movie that we think is the most compelling, and we do it in a tasteful and elegant way. Terminator Salvation very well may be an R, but I'm not hung up if [we made a few cuts] without a compromise and it ended up being PG-13. I don't want fans to feel violated by that. Do you feel violated by The Dark Knight? I don't! But I suspect we'll be R. The one who would care the most is Jeff Robinov [Warner Bros. president of production], and he looked at me and said, "I don't care." The Matrix pictures were R, and look at what they did for Warner!
How much input did you have into the Terminator Salvation video game?
A lot, the video game follows the Barnes character. We're monitoring the game, and it has a great deal to do with this story. That also reminds me of the TV show, for example. For the film, we chose to follow the storylines of the first two films and largely let Sarah Connor Chronicles do its own thing. You have to do what's right for the larger mythology.
And that video game better be good, or I'm gonna be pissed. [laughter]