Terminator 4
Terminator 4 (previously known as Terminator Salvation: The Future
Begins,[1] but now rumored to be Terminator: The Return of the
Terminator[2]) is the upcoming fourth installment to the Terminator
film series, scheduled to be released on May 22, 2009.[3] It is
written by David Campbell Wilson, John Brancato, and Michael
Ferris, directed by Joseph "McG" McGinty Nichol,[4] and stars
Christian Bale as John Connor.[5] On February 12, 2008, Sam
Worthington was announced as being cast to play Marcus; he was
personally recommended to McG by Terminator creator James
Cameron.[6] Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, and Claire Danes
will not be returning.[7][8] Josh Brolin has been mentioned in a
possible role as the Terminator.[9] Shooting of the film is
expected to start on May 5, 2008 in Albuquerque, New
Mexico.[10]
The plot and storyline of the film takes place after the events of
T3 around 2019 and focuses mainly on the war between humanity and
Skynet in the post-apocalyptic world.[11] John Connor will continue
to be the central character along with a new character named
Marcus, who will have "equal presence."[12] However, other sources
say that the film will instead focus on Marcus.[13] James
Middleton, the associate producer of the film, stated that "It's
really about the birth of a new hero,"[14] and McG said that it
will also be about the development of the Model 101
Terminator.[11]
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. In the Variety
article detailing the purchase, it states the fourth film will
focus on a 30-year old John Connor in what the producers hope will
be a new trilogy. Series creator James Cameron is currently not
involved with the project;[15] however, he did encourage McG on the
project.[11]
On July 19, 2007, it was revealed that 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.[16] However, Warner Bros. Pictures
will be handling the North American distribution,[17] while Sony
Pictures Entertainment will distribute the film overseas.[18]
