Terminator: Salvation

[MacGuffin]

Batman Joins T4?
Bale rumored as the new John Conner.

The big rumor of the day is that a certain superhero actor has joined the fourth installment of The Terminator franchise, Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins. McG will direct the sci-fi actioner for Warner Bros.

Ain't It Cool News reports that none other than Batman himself, Christian Bale, has been cast as the heroic John Conner. Conner, mankind's hope for the future, was previously played by Edward Furlong and Nick Stahl. And although it initially believed that Bale had been cast as The Terminator, CHUD.com now reports, "Is it possible that Bale is not playing either John Connor OR the Terminator? I'm hearing buzz that he's playing a character who is new to the Terminator mythology."

Terminator Salvation will begin filming in early 2008 and will cost less than T3. John Brancato and Michael Ferris penned the screenplay for production company Halcyon.

Variety previously reported that the fourth installment "seeks to reinvent the cyborg saga with a storyline to be told over a three-pic span." As Halcyon co-CEO Derek Anderson explained at the time, "This is set in the future, in a full-scale war between Skynet and humankind."

[modage]

NO.

[pete]

studios have gotta stop legitimizing tacky business decisions to continue their franchises with words like "mythology" or "universe".

[MacGuffin]

NO.

YES.


Bale to star in fourth 'Terminator' movie
Source: Hollywood Reporter

Christian Bale is in negotiations to star in "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins," the fourth installment of the hit science fiction series. McG is directing the movie, which is being made by Halcyon Company and Intermedia, and will be distributed by Warner Bros.

The series, which originated from filmmaker James Cameron and made Arnold Schwartzennegar a star, centered on a robot from the future where machines wage war against humanity, whose goal was to kill Sarah Connor, the mother of the future leader of the human resistance. As the movies progressed, the son, played by Edward Furlong in "T2" and Nick Stahl in "T3," took a more prominent role

"T4's" story, by David Campbell Wilson, John Brancato and Michael Ferris, focuses on John Connor, now in his 30s, as he leads what is left of the human race against the machines.

Intermedia's Moritz Borman and Halcyon's Victor Kubicek and Derek Anderson are producing.

Bale, repped by Endeavor, is currently filming Warner's "Batman Begins" sequel, "The Dark Knight."

[polkablues]

Let's face it, he's already worked with Steven Spielberg, Terrence Malick, Werner Herzog, Todd Haynes, Christopher Nolan, John Singleton, Jane Campion, Brad Anderson, and John Madden... all of those were just rungs on the ladder leading to McG.

[cron]

this is seriously the worst title a movie's ever had.

tErMiNaToR saLvATiOn tHe fUtUrE BeGiNzzzzZz!!!!

[MacGuffin]

''Terminator'' Secrets Revealed!
What's going on with the new ''Terminator'' movie? And does Christian Bale's casting mean hasta la vista, baby for Arnold? EW.com talked to the film's producers to find out
Source: Entertainment Weekly

It's true. The Terminator will be baaaahck. As reported last weekend on EW.com's Hollywood Insider blog, Christian Bale has all but finalized a deal to star in the McG-directed Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins, part 1 of a brand-new trilogy envisioned by producers Derek Anderson, Victor Kubicek, and Moritz Borman. Bale will play John Connor, leader of the fight against the evil, human-hunting machines. According to Anderson and Kubicek, the movie is set to begin shooting in either Australia or Budapest on March 15, with a budget ''north of $150 million.'' What other secrets did they spill? Read on.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: There's been a lot of conflicting information about Bale's role in Salvation — including reports that he'll be playing the Terminator himself. Was this just the rumor mill spinning out of control yet again?
DEREK ANDERSON: There's a hugely engaged fan base for this mythology. There are over a million fan sites out there. And they've been really waiting for this next installment, so as soon as word got out [that Bale was being considered], everybody started speculating: Is he the Terminator? Is he John Connor? Is it a new role that we haven't seen in the franchise in the past? Where that came from, we're not really sure. But he was always being considered for Connor.

The other rumor was that Connor was only going to be a supporting role.
ANDERSON: John Connor is an ongoing, very central character throughout the next trilogy.
VICTOR KUBICEK: Exactly. The mythology, really at the root of it, is the birth of the hero. John Connor is this modern-day, messianic figure that is going to lead our franchise forward.
ANDERSON: He's leading the fight for the salvation of humanity against the machines. So he's very important.

So he's the star?
KUBICEK: Yes.
ANDERSON: There's gonna be another major costar with kind of equal presence in this installment.

And that costar would play the Terminator character?
ANDERSON: Yes.... Well, it's hard to say. It is a new character introduced in the mythology that's not replacing Arnold [Schwarzenegger]. It's not like he's stepping into Arnold's shoes. It's a completely new character.

Okay, but is it a Terminator — a killing machine?
ANDERSON: No, not really. That's one of the big twists that if we told you —

You'd have to kill me?
KUBICEK: [Laughs] Yes.
ANDERSON: It would ruin the story for you. But there's an element of humanity to it. It's a bit different.

Not to beat a dead horse, but is the new figure Connor's enemy?
KUBICEK: The other lead character is a new figure. [Anderson laughs] And it's questionable if he's an enemy or not. That's not necessarily resolved.
ANDERSON: It's a really interesting time in the franchise because it's where all the fans have always wanted the franchise to go, and it hasn't to date, which is the post-apocalyptic world. It's after judgment day. So because we're in a different time in the mythology, it introduces a whole new set of circumstances and characters.

All right, easier question: Why Christian Bale for John Connor?
DEREK ANDERSON: Well, he's a brilliant actor, clearly.
VICTOR KUBICEK: Absolutely, and I think even more, like I said, this is kind of a messianic figure, somebody who's really complex and unlike a robot. There's this intense humanity. We feel like he really possesses that.
ANDERSON: He does have that incredible range. He can be that physical active guy that also has a lot of heart. The audience needs to empathize with him. There's probably not any better actor for that role.

Will Schwarzenegger be returning in any form?
KUBICEK: He may make a cameo.
ANDERSON: It still hasn't been determined, but if he does, it would be a very small cameo.

That's a tricky thing, because at this point, you don't want his presence to be a distraction, right?
KUBICEK: That's sort of how we feel, though you can't divorce him from this franchise. He's a huge supporter of it, and he's very excited about what we're doing. It's for no lack of enthusiasm that we wouldn't bring him back. But I think we agree with you. This is about the future of the franchise, and we're really excited to bring in all new elements, while still maintaining the core mythology.

Terminator fans seem to be pretty supportive of the casting of Bale. They're a little more skeptical about McG.
ANDERSON: People can only speak to the body of work that they've seen of his [including Charlie's Angels and We Are Marshall]. Some people love it and some people don't. I think one of the things that we're certain of is, this is gonna be the next step in his career as a filmmaker. He's bringing all of his past experience and his amazing vision.
KUBICEK: McG is a huge Terminator fan. He is as excited as we are about bringing the franchise into the future. And again, Christian is such a committed, incredible actor. He doesn't choose the roles he takes lightly. So I think that's an endorsement of the script and certainly of McG. Somebody like Christian wouldn't have signed on for a project if he didn't feel he was in great hands with his director.

Is it odd that Bale will be starring in two iconic, tentpole movies for Warner Bros.?
KUBICEK: No, we're not really daunted by that because they're such different movies. This character is unlike anything anyone will see in a Batman picture.
ANDERSON: I don't think there's going to be anyone watching Salvation, saying, ''Oh, there's Batman!'' Because Christian does so inhabit the role. And, if you think, Harrison Ford was part of two huge, iconic franchises: Star Wars and Indiana Jones.
KUBICEK: Nobody was too confused about that.

[MacGuffin]

Worthington to star in 'Terminator'
Cameron recommends 'Avatar' lead to McG
Source: Variety

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. A group of survivors led by John Connor (Christian Bale) struggles to keep the machines from finishing the job.

Cameron kept his distance from "Terminator 3," the first he didn't direct.

Cameron never took a public position on the Jonathan Mostow-directed "T3," which grossed more than $430 million worldwide. Speculation is his history with some of the producers could have prompted him to stay on the sidelines.

"T3" was owned by Mario Kassar and Andy Vajna, who years ago bought the rights at a Carolco bankruptcy auction out from under Cameron, prompting the director to remove himself from involvement. And the "T3" rights package included a multimillion-dollar rights buyout and exec producer credit for Gale Anne Hurd, Cameron's former partner and ex-wife. He famously signed over his "Terminator" rights for $1 to her before they made the first film, in exchange for a guarantee he wouldn't be replaced as director. It was a deal that left him on the outside looking in as everyone else cashed in on "T3."

The slate is clean after Halcyon Co. bought out all franchise rights from Kassar and Vajna and set the new film for domestic distribution at Warner Bros. for summer 2009.

Sources said McG spoke on the phone recently with Cameron, who is in New Zealand working on "Avatar." It was during that chat that he recommended Worthington, who in "Avatar" plays a paraplegic war veteran from Earth who's brought to another planet inhabited by a race of humanoids at odds with Earth's inhabitants.

[MacGuffin]

Yelchin in talks for Terminator role
Haggis may work on sequel script
Source: Hollywood Reporter

NEW YORK -- 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.

Christian Bale will play John Connor in the time-traveling third sequel to the 1984 sci-fi action film, produced by the Halcyon Co. and set for a Warner Bros. release in summer 2009.

Reese, one of the children who survived a machine-driven nuclear holocaust, befriends Marcus (Sam Worthington), an early edition of the Terminator cyborg played in previous films by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
 
In "Salvation," the character is a young version of the one played by Michael Biehn, who traveled back in time in the original to impregnate Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) and father the world's future savior.

The film picks up with their son (Bale), now in his 30s, fighting desperately to save a decimated civilization against machines that have taken control. It's unclear if the father and child reunion is only a cyborg motion away in the new film.

Halcyon's Victor Kubicek and Derek Anderson are producing with Moritz Borman. David Campbell Wilson, John Brancato and Michael Ferris wrote the screenplay. Principal photography is set to begin in early May.

Yelchin ("Charlie Bartlett") will next be seen as Chekov in J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" for Paramount.

[MacGuffin]

Bryce Dallas Howard eyes 'Terminator'
To replace Charlotte Gainsbourg in the sequel by McG
Source: Hollywood Reporter

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.

Gainsbourg, last seen in Todd Haynes' "I'm Not There," is repped by UTA and One Entertainment.

Howard last starred as Gwen Stacy in "Spider-Man 3" and next stars in the "The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond," based on a long-forgotten screenplay by Tennessee Williams. She is repped by ICM and Management 360.

[MacGuffin]

Helena Bonham Carter eyes 'Terminator'
Actress in talks to join the latest film in the franchise
Source: Hollywood Reporter

Helena Bonham Carter could soon be joining the battle between man and cyborg.

The Oscar-nominated actress is in talks to board McG's "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.

Principal photography on the Halcyon-produced movie, which looks at the origins of the battle between humans and Skynet, started last month in New Mexico, with the idea that most exteriors will be shot before a potential SAG strike. Warners is scheduled to release the action film in May.

The addition of the Endeavor-repped Bonham Carter -- who in addition to being nominated for an Oscar for 1998's "The Wings of the Dove" is a five-time Golden Globe nominee -- would bring a prestige element to the summer tentpole.

"Salvation," however, wouldn't be the first event movie the British actress has recently been in. She starred as Bellatrix Lestrange in Warners' 2007 "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" and is set to reprise that role in the franchise's next two films.

[MacGuffin]

Teaser Trailer here.

[picolas]

that wasn't half-bad. i'm no longer writing this off.

[Gold Trumpet]

I think more than any series I know, the success of Terminator depends on the look and feel of each entry. You can imagine almost any story to the franchise just as long as it is in the same vein as the second film. McG is still popcorn to me, but anyone can cut and paste an old style to a new story. It looks like this film will do that so I may enjoy this movie. Christian Bale is becoming a more appealing movie star than great actor and he picks decent pojects.

[MacGuffin]