TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION won't be a 'kids movie' (UPDATED)

Seeing Optimus Prime ride Grimlock in that first teaser trailer for Transformers: Age of Extinction, it;s easy to imagine that this particular incarnation of the Autobot franchise would be tailored more towards a PG audience. After all, robot violence is an easier sell to the ratings board, than seeing humans dismembered. The more seats, young or old, that you have in seats the more tickets you can sell.

Destruction is fun for all ages, but according to Extinction cast member Titus Welliver, the fourth Transformers movie will be darker, and that it would not be  “a kids movie, I’ll tell you that much.” [UPDATED: Welliver has clarified what he meant in his comment. Hit the jump for more)

The quote originated from Nerdist (via TFW 2005). Here’s the full bit:

How was it for the actor, best known for his roles on The Good Wife and Argo, stepping into the huge Transformers summer movie franchise? “I’ve now won the hard earned respect of my children because I’m in aTransformers film, and I’ve always wanted to work with Michael Bay and certainly Mark Wahlberg and Kelsey Grammer.” And what can fans look forward to in this installment? “It’s a bit more of a darker vision of the Transformers world… It’s not a kids movie, I’ll tell you that much.”

I’d find it hard for the next Transformers movie to not be PG-13, as that would significantly hurt the box office returns for the movie. That, and I doubt that we’ll see Optimus Prime transform with humans still inside him and wonder why he happens to be leaking red fluids. That being said, some action can still disturb the young ones easily, even when it is robot on robot. Imagine scenes such as from the first film when Megatron tore Jazz apart, but even more visceral, or a shock cameo from Shia LaBeouf.

Now that’s frightening stuff.

UPDATE:  Bring the kids on over, because Transformers: Age of Extinction will still be suitable for them. Welliver recently updated his comment, saying that:

I misspoke in my last interview when I said that Transformers 4 was not a kids movie…what I meant was that this film, will in fact expand their target audience and bring in a bigger fan base. Following the huge success of Transformers and their toy line,  it is certainly a kids movie and with the addition of Mark Wahlberg, Transformers 4 will be the coolest in the franchise.

Last Updated: February 21, 2014