Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins

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 This article or section contains information about one or more scheduled or expected films.
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This article is about the film. For the video game based on the film, see Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins (game).
Terminator Salvation:
The Future Begins

Official logo
Directed by McG
Produced by Derek Anderson
Victor Kubicek
Jeffrey Silver
Moritz Borman
Written by Screenplay:
John Brancato
Michael Ferris
David Campbell Wilson
Paul Haggis
Characters:
James Cameron
Gale Anne Hurd
Starring Christian Bale
Sam Worthington
Anton Yelchin
Bryce Dallas Howard
Moon Bloodgood
Common
Cinematography Shane Hurlbut
Distributed by North America:
Warner Bros. Pictures
International:
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Release date(s) May 22, 2009
Country Flag of the United States United States
Language English
Budget $150 million
Preceded by Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Official website
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins is an upcoming science fiction action film set for release on May 22, 2009. Directed by McG, it is the fourth film in the Terminator franchise and stars Christian Bale as John Connor, Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese, and Sam Worthington as the new character Marcus Wright. The film is set in 2018, focusing on the war between humanity and Skynet. It abandons the formula of the series (Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Model 101 Terminator time traveling to the present to protect or kill someone of future importance), and the film could be rated PG-13, unlike the other films. Filming began on May 5, 2008.

Contents

[edit] Premise

On May 23, 2008, Warner Bros. released the following plot summary for the film. The synopsis was modified on June 11, 2008:

“ Set in post-apocalyptic 2018, John Connor (Christian Bale), the man fated to be the leader of the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators, and the future he was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a Terminator 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 find out a terrible secret that may lead to the possible annihilation of mankind.[1] ”

James Middleton, the associate producer of the film, has stated that Terminator 4 "[is] really about the birth of a new hero,"[2] and McG said that it will also be about the development of the Model 101 Terminator.[3] He explained the film will "begin again very much in the spirit of what [Christopher] Nolan did with Batman," meaning it may be a reboot, and that it is "a bit of a sequel and a prequel because it tells the story of how we got there."[4]

[edit] Cast

  • Christian Bale as John Connor: The battle-experienced leader of the Tech-Com human resistance, who is now in his thirties, is waging war against Skynet after it has destroyed much of humanity in a nuclear holocaust. Bale was the first person to be cast and signed on for the role in November 2007.[5] McG talked extensively with Bale in England about the role, and they both agreed to move foward.[4] Bale is a fan of the films, and liked the script. He has signed on to appear in two sequels.[6]
  • Sam Worthington as Marcus Wright: A decommissioned Terminator,[7] who befriends Connor and Reese. His last memory is of being on death row, and Connor is unsure of whether he is from the past or the future.[8] Terminator creator James Cameron personally recommended Worthington (whom he directed in Avatar) to McG.[9] Worthington tore a muscle on his left ribs during the first weeks of filming, but nevertheless insisted on performing his own stunts.[10]
  • Moon Bloodgood as Blair Williams: A pilot for the resistance who is "a no-nonsense and battle-hardened member of the resistance" suffering from survivor guilt.[12]
  • Common as Barnes: One of John's closest friends.[13]
  • Jadagrace as "Star".[8]
  • Chris Ashworth as Richter.[14]

This will be the first Terminator film in which Arnold Schwarzenegger does not play the Model 101 Terminator, due to his governing duties in California,[15] although he said he would like to be part of it if they shot it there.[16] Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek have neither confirmed nor denied his return for the film.[17] Nevertheless, he granted the Halcyon Company permission to use his likeness in the film.[18]

[edit] Production

On May 9, 2007, it was announced that rights to the Terminator series had passed hands from producers Andrew G. Vajna and Mario Kassar to The Halcyon Company and Derek Anderson. The producers hoped to start a new trilogy based on the franchise.[19]

On July 19, 2007, the Terminator 4 project was in legal limbo due to a lawsuit between MGM and Halcyon subsidiary T Asset. According to the article, MGM has an exclusive window of 30 days to negotiate for distribution of the Terminator films. When negotiating for Terminator 4, Halcyon rejected their initial proposal, and MGM suspended negotiations. After the 30 days were over, MGM claimed that the period during which negotiations were suspended did not count and their exclusive period is still open. Halcyon was asking a court for an injunction allowing them to approach other distributors.[20] Eventually, however, Warner Bros. Pictures was able to obtain North American distribution rights,[21] while Sony Pictures Entertainment will distribute the film overseas.[22]

Shooting of the film started on May 5, 2008 in Albuquerque, New Mexico and is estimated to cost about $150 million.[23] To avoid delays caused by a possible Screen Actors Guild strike in July, all exterior scenes will be completed by then, so production can restart easily.[24] The filmmakers had originally intended to begin filming on April 15 in Budapest.[15]

Stan Winston, who was the visual effects supervisor on the first three films, continues his role on The Future Begins. The film features the rubber-skinned T-600s, which Winston and his company put a lot of effort into looking like a eight-foot tall machine wrapped in prosthetics.[10]

[edit] Release

The film will be released on May 22, 2009, and it could be rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America, unlike the previous R-rated films. The producers cited the desire to broaden the series to a new audience and the modern leniency of violence in PG-13 films (such as Live Free or Die Hard), but they have stated that they will not force the rating.[25] McG explained, "We have entertained the idea of a PG-13 rating largely because Batman Begins, in my opinion, was made compromise-free. So we'll see. The movie comes first and it will be protected at all times."[10]

A teaser trailer will be attached to The Dark Knight on July 18, 2008.[26]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Terminator Salvation Production Start Announcement Comingsoon.net retrieved 2007-06-11
  2. ^ Lee, Patrick. "Terminator 4 Rumors Addressed", Sci Fi Wire, 2008-01-07. Retrieved on 2008-01-07. 
  3. ^ Ferrante, A.C.. "Exclusive News: McG TALKS TERMINATOR: SALVATION AND HINTS AT A JOSH BROLIN-TYPE TO PLAY A NEW FOE", iF Magazine, 2008-02-06. Retrieved on 2008-02-06. 
  4. ^ a b Goldman, Eric. "Terminator Director Gives Hints", IGN, 2008-03-20. Retrieved on 2008-05-11. 
  5. ^ "Caffeinated" Clint Morris. "Terminator : Rise of the Marsupial !", Moviehole.net, 2007-11-22. Retrieved on 2008-05-11. 
  6. ^ Mark Savage. "Bale 'to make three Terminators'", BBC News Online, 2008-05-20. Retrieved on 2008-05-20. 
  7. ^ a b Goldstein, Gregg. "Yelchin finds 'Salvation'", The Hollywood Reporter, 2008-03-19. Retrieved on 2008-04-14. 
  8. ^ a b Olly Richards. "Terminator 4 Story Details Released", Empire Online, 2008-05-23. Retrieved on 2008-05-23. 
  9. ^ "Worthington to star in 'Terminator'", Variety, 2008-02-12. Retrieved on 2008-04-14. 
  10. ^ a b c McG (2008-05-22). Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins Blog. Official blog. Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
  11. ^ "Bryce Dallas Howard Replaces Charlotte Gainsbourg in Terminator 4", MovieWeb], 2008-06-02. 
  12. ^ "Moon Bloodgood Joins Terminator 4 Cast", NewsFeed Researcher, 2008-04-22. Retrieved on 2008-05-14. 
  13. ^ "Rapper 'to appear in Terminator'", BBC News, 2008-05-07. Retrieved on 2008-05-14. 
  14. ^ "Bedford native lands role in "Terminator 4"", WDBJ7.com, 2008-05-26. Retrieved on 2008-06-06. 
  15. ^ a b Alison Maloney. "Arnie won't be back for T4", The Sun, 2007-12-28. Retrieved on 2007-12-28. 
  16. ^ Simon Reynolds. "Arnie hopes for 'Terminator' role", Digital Spy, 2008-04-22. Retrieved on 2008-05-11. 
  17. ^ Orlando Parfitt. "Cannes 2008: T4 Producers Talk", IGN, 2008-05-22. Retrieved on 2008-06-03. 
  18. ^ "Arnold Schwarzenegger WILL appear in "Terminator 4"", FilmWad. Retrieved on 2008-06-03. 
  19. ^ Fleming, Michael. "More 'Terminator' on the way", Variety, 2007-05-09. Retrieved on 2007-05-09. 
  20. ^ Franklin, Garth. "Terminator 4 in Legal Limbo", Dark Horizons, 2007-07-19. Retrieved on 2007-07-19. 
  21. ^ Michael Fleming. "WB restarts Terminator", Variety, 2007-10-09. Retrieved on 2008-04-14. 
  22. ^ "Sony bags distribution rights for Terminator", One India, 2008-02-27. Retrieved on 2008-04-14. 
  23. ^ Sue Zeidler. "Terminator 4 starts filming despite strike fears", Reuters, 2008-05-08. Retrieved on 2008-05-11. 
  24. ^ Fleming, Michael; Pamela McClintock. "Film greenlights in limbo", Variety, 2008-02-27. Retrieved on 2008-04-14. 
  25. ^ Anne Thompson. "'Terminator' guns for kid-friendly rating", Variety, 2008-05-13. Retrieved on 2008-05-13. 
  26. ^ Josh Horowitz. "‘Terminator’ Sequel: The First Poster Revealed? And When Will We See A Teaser?", MTV, 2008-06-10. Retrieved on 2008-06-11. 

[edit] External links

v • d • e
The Terminator series
Films
The Terminator  • 2: Judgement Day  • 3: Rise of the Machines  • Salvation: The Future Begins
Other media
Characters
Terminators
T-1 • T-70 • T-101/800/850 • T-888 • T-1000 • T-1000000 • T-X • Cameron Phillips • I-950
Locations
Cast
Crew
Miscellaneous