"Hancock" In Ratings Trouble?
Apparently, Will Smith's expected Summer blockbuster, Hancock, is facing somewhat of a battle with the MPAA ratings board. In order to make the film accessible to as wide an audience as possible, the filmmakers have struggled to get the film a PG13 rating from the MPAA. As is, it's an R-Rated film, which automatically reduces its reach. According to an interview with the director of the film, Peter Berg, at the New York Times, Hancock "has remained surprisingly sexual, violent and true in spirit to an original script that was viewed as brilliant but unmakable." Obviously, not tame enough for the MPAA to award it a PG13 rating.
And now, there are reports that some of the cast, including Will Smith, were called back for reshoots of certain scenes in New York City, as recently as last weekend, which is incredible, when one considers that the film is scheduled to open about a month and a half from now. My guess is that the reshoots are to appease the MPAA and get that coveted PG13 rating!
Hancock hits theatres on July 2nd.
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A while ago you pondered the direction Mr. Will (can do no box-office harm) Smith's career might take. Judging from this rather frantic scheduling, I'd say absolute world domination/market saturation. Not so much the lowest common denominator (although some dumbing down might be required for the widest reach possible) but the youngest spending consumer...
Shooting this late into the game, in New York City, must be costing some serious money, so I guess they're hoping for another Will Smith box office massacre. Let's hope this doesn't turn out to be another 'Wild, Wild West' then...
It's hard for me to believe that an R rating is as bad as they say it is.
It's 2008.
And this is the United States.
@ Wendy - World domination/market saturation is the name of the game... his game anyway. But I suppose most others wouldn't mind that as well. The question is at what cost? I keep wanting to think of Will Smith as "the spook who sat by the door"... casually making his way into the mainstream, into the homes of the majority (in terms of numbers anyway), while planning some kind of clandestine, Black Panther-ish, 10 point program operation, one which he'll unleash sometime in the future, taking all his constituents by surprise :o)
Probably not... but who knows... there might be some other madness to his method.
I'll see Hancock, whether it's PG13 or R. Although I'd love to see the R-Rated version. He rarely makes R-Rated films.
@ Baby - I agree... from all I've read and seen of the film, I just can't see how vulgar it could be to deserve an R rating. All the packaging for it up until now has given the impression that it's a fun family-friendly film. But then again, maybe plenty hasn't been revealed. The DVD might have whatever scenes were deleted or reshot, for us to compare the before and after.
The last R rated film Smith made was Bad Boys 2 and GOD KNOWS how wretchedly AWFUL that film was. But I would love to see him do a ballsy, cutting edge, funny R rated movie. And from what I've seen from the trailer it could be pretty funny. I wish they would release the R rated version or at least include the R rated material in an unrated DVD version down eventually
@ Sergio - "But I would love to see him do a ballsy, cutting edge, funny R rated movie..."
So would I! I'd love to see him do a ballsy, cutting edge any kind of movie, funny or otherwise... take some risks! Will it happenn? Who knows.