Sam Worthington Cast in Terminator 4 via James Cameron's Suggestion

February 14, 2008
Source: Variety
by Kevin Powers

With at least a year until its release, Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins is slowly taking shape bit by bit, most recently with casting announcements. Last week we brought you the rumor that Josh Brolin might step in as the new Terminator, and before that, Christian Bale was announced as the new adult John Connor. The news is promising on its face, but there's been a lot of discussion whether the director McG can really do the iconic storyline justice, what with his extreme lack of cred in this space. I mean, Charlie's Angels… or "Fastlane"…? However, McG might just be getting the endorsement he needs with James Cameron, who directed the first two Terminator movies, influencing the selection of one of the new film's main characters: Sam Worthington as Marcus, a presently unknown character who will serve a primary role in the new trio of Terminator films.

Of course, I think we all need to accept the sad reality that nothing Terminator-related will ever live up to Cameron's original two. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines wasn't half-bad, and the director, Jonathon Mostow, had a similar dearth of sci-fi experience as McG. But with the recent news, does this mean that Cameron might, in fact, be sneaking around in the background? That would be great, of course, but I'm not yet convinced Salvation will have enough of a Cameron influence to make us think this could be the next real Terminator movie.

Worthington is actually working with Cameron on his upcoming sci-fi epic Avatar. Why McG and Cameron spoke recently wherein Cameron recommended Worthington for a role in the new series is a bit unknown. Was Cameron so inspired by Worthington and interested in Salvation that he felt it necessary to give McG some recommendations? If it went down like that, will the recommendations cease or will Cameron continue to whisper in McG's ear?

As for Worthington and his suitability for the role, that's a bit unknown as well. The actor isn't exactly recognizable, though he does have the stern brow and chiseled jaw to make him right home amidst a decimated Earth.

Personally, I'm more interested in Bale. McG confirmed recently that despite rumors to the contrary, Bale's role as Connor is a "major player" in the film. I hated Nick Stahl's incarnation of the future leader in Terminator 3. The question with this, however, is when and how Bale will exit the upcoming three-picture series; we all know he dies at some point, but it would suck to remove him too early, since he's done such a cool job helping to reinvigorate the Batman franchise.

I guess we'll see how Cameron's involvement (or lack thereof) plays out over this year. I'm hesitant to say his recommendation of Worthington is a sign of great things to come. After all, McG, the captain of this project, said recently in reference to finding someone for the Terminator role: "I'm looking for credible actors. We've already got Christian Bale, who is one of the greatest actors of his generation. I'd love to get Daniel Day-Lewis, but I don't know if he goes in for this kind of movie." With that kind of misguided thinking, he could use all the help Cameron can give him.

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