Links to our threads on Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) and The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008-).

FWIW, one of the producers has compared this upcoming trilogy to Ben-Hur:

It will follow the events of T3 and be post-apocalyptic. It's not known whether Nick Stahl and Claire Danes will return, but John Connor and Kate are in the script. The movie will feature a new hero as the main character. Middleton likened the story to how "Ben-Hur was influenced by Jesus Christ, but it was his story. Much in that way, this character will be influenced by John Connor."

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WB restarts 'Terminator'
Warner Bros. has acquired North American distrib rights to "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins," triggering an early 2008 production start for a film that seeks to reinvent the cyborg saga with a storyline to be told over a three-pic span.
WB plans to distribute "Terminator Salvation" in summer 2009. . . .
A screenplay has been completed by "Terminator 3" scribes John Brancato and Michael Ferris, and the financiers and studio are close to locking a director. While industry buzz has "Charlie's Angels" director McG as the odds-on favorite for the assignment, the producers said no final decision had yet been made.
The first two "Terminator" films, directed by James Cameron, used contemporary settings to pit Sarah and John Connor against indestructible cyborgs. "T3" was also set in the present day and ended just as the machines initiated a nuclear apocalypse. "Terminator Salvation" was deliberately not given a number after its title, because Halcyon is eager to make it clear that the fourth film heads into an entirely different setting.
"This is set in the future, in a full-scale war between Skynet and humankind," Anderson told Daily Variety.
Borman said: "The third film was really the conclusion of what happened in the 'now.' You will find the most-loved characters, but the intention here is to present a fresh new world and have this be the first of a trilogy." . . .
Variety, October 9

And the director is...


McG.

Christian Bale ... will he play the Terminator or John Connor?

I am pretty excited about this movie. I am a huge fan of post apocalyptic stories and mans struggle after near extinction. After T3 I was really hoping they would continue the story.

Because I can't resist the opportunity to do a bunch of screen captures, and because the casting of the mid-20s or early-30s John Connor is currently up for debate, I went ahead and posted some pictures at my blog of all the John Connors to date -- 5 actors and 1 prosthetic in 4 diverging timelines spread across 3 movies and 1 TV series, woo-hoo!

Christian Bale to star in 'Terminator'
The rumors have raged for the past few weeks but Hollywood Insider can now confirm that Christian Bale is set to star in the Terminator reboot...Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins. No official word yet on what role Bale will play in the film . . .
EW.com, December 1

Wow--I'm surprised. Hopefully this means it's a good script. Bale does bear a decent likeness to Edwards.

CHUD.com says John Connor WILL be a marginal figure in this film, no matter what certain producers seemed to indicate in a recent interview. My comments.

McG speaks. I comment. (The main "revelation" from this interview is that McG named Josh Brolin when asked to say who his "dream Terminator" would be.)

Worthington to star in 'Terminator'
Sam Worthington will star in "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins."
The fact the Australian actor just played the lead in the James Cameron-directed "Avatar" is no coincidence. Cameron recommended Worthington to "Terminator Salvation" director McG, indicating that the director of the first two "Terminator" installments might be warming to the new pic.
While the "Terminator Salvation" plot has twists and turns that are being kept under tight wraps, Worthington will play the role of Marcus, a central figure in a three-picture arc that begins after Skynet has destroyed much of humanity in a nuclear holocaust. . . .
Variety, February 12

WB's 'Terminator' to open May 2009
Warner Bros. will open McG's Christian Bale starrer "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins" on May 22, 2009, the start of Memorial Day weekend. That puts two tentpoles on the same date, even though the release calendar for summer 2009 is still relatively open.
Variety, February 25

WARNING: There appears to be a MAJOR spoiler in the story below (though not in the bit that I quote).

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Yelchin finds 'Salvation'
Anton Yelchin is in negotiations to star as post-apocalyptic warrior Kyle Reese in director McG's "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins."
With production scheduled to start in early May, Paul Haggis also has been in talks about coming on board to work on the sequel's script.
Yelchin will play a teen version of Reese, the man who fathered world savior John Connor in the original "Terminator" film. . . .
Hollywood Reporter, March 19

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Link to my collection of screen-captures depicting all the actors who have played Kyle Reese so far.

Moon Bloodgood lined up for "Terminator" sequel
Bloodgood will play a no-nonsense and battle-hardened member of the resistance who is carrying a lot of guilt over surviving the nuclear holocaust.
Reuters, April 20

She was great in (snif! snif! I miss you already!) NBC's Journeyman, and has an awesome name.

According to a story over at ain't it cool news, Terminator Salvation is trying to go the same route as Die Hard 4, and shoot for a PG-13 rating.

"Terminator 4" starts filming despite strike fears
Cameras began rolling this week on the latest "Terminator" movie -- estimated to cost about $150 million -- for what many Hollywood watchers say is a late start given concerns that labor tensions could lead to an actors strike by July. . . .
A source familiar with the latest sequel said filmmakers have no intention of wrapping production by June 30 and have taken legal precautions in case of a work stoppage. A second person close to the film's production will go on hiatus if there is a strike, but others said that is a risky endeavor. . . .
Reuters, May 7

Common thread in 'Terminator' film
Rapper to co-star in Warner Bros.' sequel
Variety, May 5

From today's Warner Brothers press release:

In the highly anticipated new installment of "The Terminator" film franchise, set in post-apocalyptic 2018, Christian Bale stars as John Connor, the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators. But the future Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet's operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind.

The film also stars Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese, Charlotte Gainsbourg as Kate Connor, Moon Bloodgood as Blair Williams, Common as Barnes, and Jadagrace as Star.

So Nick Stahl and Claire Danes have been replaced by Christian Bale and Charlotte Gainsbourg. Interesting. Which will make the more engaging couple, I wonder? Which will seem the more battle-hardened? Etc., etc.

I have to say that the introduction of the Kate Brewster/Connor character in the third film was one of that movie's less impressive elements. It introduced too many coincidences into the franchise -- Kate's dad develops Skynet, AND Kate happens to be an old school chum of John Connor's who kissed him (or something) at a party the night before the T-1000 arrived in T2 (or something like that), AND the hospital that John breaks into just happens to be Kate's, AND he just happens to do this on the very same day that a T-X has come back in time to kill Kate, and... and... One of the things I love about The Sarah Connor Chronicles is that it completely ignores the third movie ... but the new MOVIES have to accept that third movie as canon, which kinda sucks.

Gainsbourg in a Terminator movie? Man, somebody's really trying to earn back the integrity of this series... If Gainsbourg's in it, I'll have to see it!

Bryce Dallas Howard eyes 'Terminator'
Bryce Dallas Howard is in negotiations to replace Charlotte Gainsbourg in "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins."
Gainsbourg was originally set to play Kate Connor, the wife of human resistance hero John Connor, played by Christian Bale. The actress had to bow out because of scheduling conflicts with another film, a French comedy. Production on "Terminator," directed by McG, is already underway in New Mexico. If an actors strike were to happen, shooting would stop and then restart at a later date, potentially butting heads with the French film. . . .
Hollywood Reporter, June 2

Wow....there are some fairly huge (and fairly...shocking) spoilers over here at AICN. You have to read the bottom of the page first to get the scoop, since the article was updated with additional thoughts and everything was bumped down.

If this turns out to be true, than John Connor himself becomes a Terminator . Not sure I like this at all, and regardless, knowing this in advance definitely kills my slight interest in what kind of story the filmmakers intend to tell. I've never been a huge Terminator fan (I only really liked T2), at least not enough of one to really care about this extension of the plot. If they brought Arnold back, maybe...

Against my better judgment, I read the spoilered text ... and the spoiler there is so laughably weird that I'm not sure I buy it. But even if it's accurate, I don't think I mind knowing it. Let's face it, NONE of the Terminator sequels have lived up to the first film, so at this point I'm quite happy to just see what sort of lulu territory the franchise keeps going in.

Yeah, agreed on the spoiler text, Peter.

Can you explain to me, though, why the first Terminator is so well-regarded? I like it, mind you, but always felt the second movie to be better overall.

Jason Panella wrote:
: Can you explain to me, though, why the first Terminator is so well-regarded? I like it, mind you, but always felt the second movie to be better overall.

My reasons haven't changed substantially from what I wrote when T2 was brand new, way way back when I was only 20 (sigh).

Re: that "spoiler", BTW, McG posted something at the movie's blog today which would seem to refute that rumour ("By the way, there are only three people who know the ending."). He also has some interesting things to say about the rubber-skin Terminators (the ones that, according to Kyle Reese in the first film, were created BEFORE the organic-skin model that Arnold belongs to) and the question of whether the film will be rated PG-13.

Bonham Carter joins the "Terminator" cast
Helena Bonham Carter could soon be joining the battle between man and cyborg.
The British actress is in talks to board "Terminator Salvation," the fourth installment in the franchise kicked off by James Cameron in 1984. Roles in the new film have been kept under wraps, but insiders described the Bonham Carter role as small but pivotal.
Hollywood Reporter, June 29

Christian Bale started working on this film just a couple weeks ago, and it's been shooting for over two months. Hmmm. Sounds like those rumours about John Connor not being the main character might be right after all.

Either that or they've just been shooting a ton of battle footage, exoskeleton action, and explosions ... which, with McG at the helm, certainly wouldn't surprise me.

Overstreet wrote:
: Either that or they've just been shooting a ton of battle footage, exoskeleton action, and explosions ... which, with McG at the helm, certainly wouldn't surprise me.

Possibly, although one of the sources I link to there says Jane Alexander, of all people, had almost finished shooting her role right around the time that Bale was only beginning to shoot HIS role. Not sure if I'd associate her with "a ton of battle footage, exoskeleton action, and explosions" ... but it would be cool if that WAS what she was doing!

You know, as unenthusiastic I am about McG directing and the general attitude I've heard about this one from those involved (pg-13, seriously?), some geeky part of my brain still gets a kick out of seeing a new Terminator project on screen. The trailer didn't really do anything for me until the end, which left me in a state of "I'll see that, even though I know it will probably suck". Can't wait to see the teaser on the big screen though.

The trailer is certainly more impressive in high-def, and will probably be better on the big screen -- though not by much, since it doesn't really SHOW all that much.

That said, I have posted screen caps of Bale-as-Connor and of three of the new robots here.

Terminator's T-800 to be played by Roland Kickinger

Says Mr. Kickinger:

"It's Arnold's character in the first Terminator. That's basically my role, but 20 years before, so it establishes how the Terminator [came] about."



What will this do to the timeline?

NBooth wrote:
: What will this do to the timeline?

I haven't had time to blog this yet, but my first thoughts run like so:

The timeline is ALREADY different from what it used to be; John Connor even says as much in his voice-over for the new film. In the ORIGINAL timeline, a bit of Terminator skeleton left behind in 1984 became the basis for a technology that became self-aware and nuked the world in 1997, leading to a war that John Connor finally won in 2029.

However, the events of T2 undid all that. And then, in T3, a T-X from the future comes back to 2003 and kick-starts the war after all -- we see her plug into the internet, after which she sends out various viruses and activates various systems, etc., etc.

So the gap between the beginning of the war and the events of T4, which takes place in 2018, is shorter now than it used to be. And the war began on very different terms this time -- actively prodded along by a T-X from the future, rather than the unintentional result of an AI system developed by humans -- so it is possible that the technologies that seemed "new" to Kyle in 2029, on the original timeline, are created even earlier in the new timeline. It all depends on how much information the T-X transmitted during her visit to 2003. Things might be moving along a lot faster than they did the first time 'round.

Of course, another possibility is that THIS film will get into time-travel, too, though there wouldn't really be a need for it. The whole point of the time travel, in the first three movies and the TV series, was to bring futuristic robots into the world of "today", whatever "today" happened to be at that time. But the fourth film takes place a decade into the future, and in a world where the war with the machines began only a couple years after 9/11. So any time travel in THIS movie would have to serve a different purpose. It would, at any rate, FEEL very different than it did in all the other productions.

Helena Bonham Carter is a "baddie", Linda Hamilton is rumoured to (maybe) appear in flashbacks.

McG Tells ‘Terminator Salvation’ Actors To Hit ‘The Road’
“I gave all the actors ‘The Road’ to read to get their heads right bout this sort of existential detachment that living in a post apocalyptic world would bring,” McG revealed. “We’re in a very large post apocalyptic environment. The bombs have gone off and there’s very little left. People are wandering through lonely landscapes. We want to capture that by way of David Lean photographic expanses, so you think you’re looking at ‘Lawrence of Arabia.’ So far, so good.”
MTV Movies Blog, August 18

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I cannot help but note that the last Cormac McCarthy novel to be made into a movie, i.e. No Country for Old Men, featured a character who was compared by many to the Terminator.

Derek Anderson & Victor Kubicek
Halcyon founders Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek hail from a world light years away from Hollywood. But the showbiz outsiders -- a former ad exec and a banker, respectively -- obtained the ultimate calling card when they acquired rights to the "Terminator" franchise last year. . . .
And rather than resting on their "Terminator" laurels, the pair swooped in late last year and inked a splashy first-look deal for most of the works penned by the late sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick. That gave Halcyon bigscreen, smallscreen and ancillary rights to 125 short stories and 46 novels, including McG fave "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" -- the basis for "Blade Runner."
"I would love to work with them again," McG notes near the end of the 77-day shoot. "I made 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' required reading on the set. So, yeah, that would be a good one."
Variety, September 3