Producer Harvey Weinstein is discussing an idea of a re-edit with director Tom Hooper taking the R-rated movie down to a PG-13 or even a PG.
The film earned the 'R' rating in the US for its occasional but essential use of swearing, more specifically the use of the F-word. Cutting around that would be extremely difficult and the swearing itself is a major component of the Colin Firth character's speech therapy.
Yet Weinstein is seeing the bigger awards bump that films like True Grit and The Fighter are getting at the box-office and wants some of that action as well
The move is part of a new marketing strategy intended to "up the film's appeal" to a broader range of moviegoers. The new rating would of course open the film up to the early-mid teenage demographic
But is that demo really wanting to see a witty yet dry British period drama about a royal leader's speech impediment. I say No they could care less.
Part of the reason for this sudden move is the UK box-office figures. The film has topped the British charts for three consecutive weekends with the help of a much milder 12-and-over rating.The UK Ratings System is much more forgiving when it comes to swearing
If plans move ahead, this new version of "The King's Speech" wouldn’t be completed until after the Oscars on February 27th. Before that the film is expanding to 2,500 theaters domestically this weekend, up from 1,680. Its ad campaign is also being adjusted to focus less on the critical acclaim and more on "trying to get across that this classic movie is just as cool as the other movies people are seeing" says Weinstein.
If Speech wins best pic over Social the re-edit won't matter much--As I said above TWC target demo of teens still would rather see a film about Facebook in the comfort of their own living room than see Speech
Leave the film alone
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