TERMINATOR SALVATION: THE FUTURE BEGINS

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TERMINATOR SALVATION: THE FUTURE BEGINS is the fourth entry in the TERMINATOR series of movies. Directed by McG and slated for release in June 2009, it is to fill in some of the backstory we've heard so much about in the first three movies. After the disappointing Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines fiasco, many fan are seeing this as the true continuatuion of the series that was begun with such style by James Cameron's two incredible films.

At the time of writing this hub, little is known about the hotly anticipated fil's plot other than it covers the final battle with Skynet that set the wheels in motion for Kyle Reese to be sent back in time and become John Connor's father in the first film. Ain't time travel a great thing?

After Skynet has brought about a devastating nuclear holocaust and wiped out much of humanity, John Connor (played in this installment by BATMAN star Christian Bale) leads a last ditch attempt to topple the cybernetic nemesis that has destroyed mankind.

Shooting begins in April 2008, and many rumours abound regarding the content of the movie. Will Arnold Schwarzenegger appear in it? Will we see Skynet itself? How about the armies of Endoskeletons glimpsed in previous films? Also, now that the TV series TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES is showing, how with the show's continuity fit into the film, if at all?

The casting of Christian Bale is a very strong step in the right direction for a series that was crippled by its third film. His commanding screen presence is going to be a joy to watch, especially when pitted against Endoskeletons, Hunter-Killers and whatever else Skynet is going throw at the remnants of the human resistance in the new film. The tidbits that have been leaked regarding the plot sound great, but there is still divided opinion on the film thanks to the choice of director...

MAY 2008 UPDATES!

News has been released that the female lead in the new terminator movie will be played by the gorgeous Moon Bloodgood, who will portray a battle-hardened resistance fighter that works alongside our hero John Connor. For more info on this talented actress, you can visit her IMDB page to find out more about the new Terminator 4 movie star.

UPDATE: TERMINATOR 4: THE START OF A NEW TRILOGY?

It has been reported that Christian Bale has in fact signed up for THREE new Terminator movies, which would form a massive new trilogy based around the end of the war with Skynet, and apparently culminate with John Connor sending Kyle Reese back in time to become his father! This is great news. If the new Terminator film is popular enough, the other two will go into production and create the perfect ending to the series.

JUNE 2008 UPDATE- NEW KATE CONNOR

Kate Connor, played by Claire Danes in Terminator 3, has been recast! The new movie was to have Charlotte Gainsbourg play John Connor's wife, but shcheduling conflicts have meant that she has had to pull out of the project. Word is that the part will now be played by Bryce Dallas Howard, who played Gwen Stacy in Spider-Man 3.

TEASER TRAILER UPDATE

The first teaser trailer for the new Terminator movie is to be attached to prints of Batman sequel THE DARK KNIGHT. The trailer features the first official footage of Christian Bale as John Connor, in a brief montage of action shots following a short intro. The trailer culminates with the first fx shot seen from the movie- John escaping from a warehouse on a motorbike, with a female character riding with him, pursued by a giant Terminator (the enormous wheeled versions as seen in the flashbacks in the first film!).

AUGUST 2008 UPDATES:

Helena Bonham Carter had reportedly joined the cast of Terminator Salvation, playing what she describes as 'definitely a villain'. This is an odd bit of casting if ever I heard one, but will prove interesting given that Tim Burton isn't involved.

TERMINATOR SALVATION PREQUEL NOVEL COMING

An official prequel novel that leads right into the events of Terminator Salvation is to be published by Titan Books. The as yet untitled novel is written by SF tie-in legend Timothy Zahn, who is most well known for his STAR WARS novels. You can check out the novel's page on the Titan website.

SEPTEMBER 2008 UPDATES:

SCHWARZENEGGER (SORT OF) IN NEW MOVIE

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the one-time movie star turned politician, is indeed to appear in Terminator: Salvation. Sort of. Arnold will be supplying the voice of the original T800, and his face from the first film is to be digitally mapped onto the body of a young bodybuilder who physically resembles Arnold at the time of the first film.

The images and news are coming thick and fast now, and everything is pointing to a hell of a return to form for the Terminator franchise. Fans and critics alike are anticipating this will be the Terminator film we've all been waiting for. The trailers look incredible, Empire magazine's 'flashing' cover story has thrilled its readers, the animated 'online poster' was awesome and now images of the action figures have revealed a few spoilers for the movie's plot. Here's hoping the excitement carries over to the film itself! Not long to go now...

FEBRUARY 2009: HAMILTON IN T4?

A story is circulting that Linda Hamilton, Sarah Connor from the first 2 Terminator movies, will be doing a voiceover for TERMINATOR SALVATION!!!

The Terminator mythos was born at the heart of the cyberpunk boom of the 1980s. It is easy to spot the influence of writers such as William Gibson and Bruce Sterling in the harder SF elements, and the first film rode on the wave of the early cyberpunk explosion in style, with visuals that caught the ideas of the era perfectly. Scenes such as the 'future flashbacks' of HKs rolling over hills of human skulls will stay with the viewer for a long time after viewing.

The Terminator mythos has made a lasting impression on popular culture, and in particular the science fiction genre that spawned it in the first place. Cyborgs and all-poowerful AIs have long been a part of the SF staple, but the success of the Terminator franchise has affected many, many books, movies, comics and animated shows since it exploded onto screens back in 1984.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day is still one of the biggest sequels of all time. Directed by James Cameron, as was the first movie, it took the mythos to a whole new level and blew the science fiction action movie genre apart. It has since become the benchmark by which lesser films are judged. Seldom have their been more iconic characters than Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor, the T800 as played by Arnold Schwarzenegger and the T1000 as played in the film by Robert Patrick.

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is absolutely terrible, aside from the gloriously downbeat ending. After endless versions of the script being written, what finally arrived onscreen was a creative, conceptual and commercial disaster. There is barely a frame of any merit in the entire thing other than those final moments. Essentially a lesser retread of T2, it blew the franchise's credibility almost completely, but still the hunger for further Termninator adventures was strong. A real continuation of the series was needed.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles has now hit our TV screens, taking place between events shown in the T2 and T3 movies, and introducing various new elements to the mythos, such as Summer Glau's Terminator character, and is building up a new fanbase for a series that had lost its way with that train-wreck of a third film.

There has been a mass of Terminator related comic books released since the early 1990s, mainly from tie-in specialists DARK HORSE COMICS, which have kept the flame burning and interest going even when the franchise has lapsed into self parody. The comics walked all over the third film, and it is possibly the various comic book series that kept the franchise as an ongoing concern more than anything.

Now with T4 on the way, it looks as though the Terminator franchise is getting back on track, and it is about damn time too. The effect the Termionator series has had on popular culture as a whole is wuite significant, even changing many people's perception of AIs and the internet culture. Cyberpunk may have been and gone as a craze, but its effects and its stories live on, even as they blue ever more with our real lives.