I don’t like to be the one to bring bad news but this doesn’t look very promising. According to PlanetAvP, an editor of Empire Magazine says AvP is aiming for an PG-13 rating. They found out via the executive producer for AvP, Thomas Hammel:
“We want a ‘PG-13.’ It’s horror, it’s thrills, it’s gore, but it’s not blood splattering on the walls. Ratings have changed. I’m not sure Alien would be an 18 now.”
Dark Horizons also had somethng to say on the film’s certificate yesterday:
“I kept deliberately asking what the rating would be and everytime they said they’re shooting for an ‘R’ complete with gore. Anderson seemed almost offended by the idea of something ‘PG-13.”
Considering both Alien and Predator were originally R-rated, this doesn’t look good for AvP. If it does turn out to be a PG-13 movie, I can guarantee there will be a lot of angry fans out there.
Update: I’ve now found the whole paragraph in Empire Magazine where it explains about the rating.
Here’s another quote from Paul Anderson from last December:
“We’re not making any specific rated movie. We’re making the movie that we’re making and it’ll get the rating that it gets. There’s so much unpleasantness in this movie. I mean, it’s pretty gruesome.”
Update: I’ve now found the paragraph in Empire Magazine that says this:
“After a year in which R-Rated films – T3 , the matrix movies and bad boys II redefined what was a possible at the box office you`d expect Fox`s Alien vs Predator to be chockfull of nasty, wall to wall violence and gore, right? Wrong, “we want a PG-13,” executive producer Thomas Hammel told the insider on the prague set. Which means the film is likely to be a 12A/15 over here. “its horror, its gore, but its not blood spalttering the walls, Ratings have changed, im not sure Alien would be an 18 now”. its a decision that will upset the fanboys, but couls kickstart a sucessful franchise – leading lady – and token human – Sanaa Lathan told us that shes signed for atleast one more film. The original Alien queen, Sigourney Weaver however is not so convinced about the film, “hmmm, Aliens and Predators?” she laughed at the Empire awards “thats why i wanted to die in Alien 3”
Here's a fun tip. Go do a search on "Alien vs Predator R P-13" and see how many sites put a PG-13 next to the AVP title. I came across one article that talks about the majority of movies being made this year shooting for a PG-13 rating. The most interesting part of the article is this: "Anyone who watches movies knows that what passes for a PG-13 movie these days likely would have been rated R just a few years ago. Just as soon as the FTC clamped down on marketing R-rated movies, the PG-13 rating almost simultaneously expanded to allow for more violence and even a little more sex, studio executives say. Even with close-up battle scenes, each of the three "Lord of the Rings" movies was rated PG-13, and despite a barrage of double-entendres, every "Austin Powers" film was, as well. Although it, too, is rated PG-13, "Secret Window" includes a screwdriver jammed into (and extracted from) a human head, then stabbed into a leg." Here's the rest of the Article. http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/living/8357977.htm
Besides, All of Pauls movies since mortal kombat have been 'R', He will fight for this one.
ps. Alien resurrection WAS that bad