Will McG Actually Get Terminator Salvation an R Rating?

When production first began on Terminator Salvation, rumors began to circulate that Warner Bros wanted the film to be PG-13. At Comic-Con last year, McG assured fans in attendance that he is under no pressure to deliver a PG-13 rating. Referring to the studio executives for this film, McG explained “I’ve been given their blessing to make the picture…and if it’s a rated R picture, then that’s that.” He elaborated that he’s not against the idea of a PG-13 rating, but that the ultimate rating will depend completely upon what the final vision for the film is.

Today McG mentioned having a topless scene of the film's lovely heroine Moon Bloodgood, who is being seen as a homage to Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor, and in his usual flair of showmanship, he put it to the audience whether or not they want to see that scene in the movie. Needless to say, the mostly male audience enthusiastically chose the former.

It seems to me that the only reason that Warner Bros would want the scene cut from the film is if they want a PG-13 cut of the film. There is no other possible reason. McG publicly called out the name of the Warner Bros executive that is pushing for the removal of the shot in question, and made it clear that he would like to keep the shot in. And while McG didn’t flat out say that he wants to fight for a R-Rating, that’s how it came across to me and most everyone in the convention hall. And making a public statement is a strong message to the movie studio producing the film. McG’s vision is evidently R-Rated after all, but will the film be edited down for a more marketable (potentially more profitable) PG-13 rating?