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Arnold Schwarzenegger Back as 'Terminator' for Director Justin Lin

by Ethan Anderton
April 26, 2011
Source: Deadline

Since his first return to show business in The Governator doesn't look all that impressive, Arnold Schwarzenegger will use an old standby to make a big splash back into acting. Deadline is reporting that the action superstar is attached to a rights packaged being shopped around Hollywood today that will have him back as The Terminator. Though no screenwriter is currently attached and it's not clear if this is simply a sequel or some sort of remake or reboot for the franchise, the project already has Fast Five helmer Justin Lin attached to direct for a package that would cost studios $25 million (maybe more) to pick up.

Apparently Universal, Sony and Lionsgate are already looking at the package, so there should be an official deal coming sometime soon. Deadline points out that there's a bit of a ticking clock behind the Terminator franchise though. With copyright law, if you assign your rights to another entity, you get them back in 25 years. So original franchise director James Cameron gave his rights up awhile back, but he'll end up being back in control of them in 2018. Obviously that's more than enough time for any studio to get one, maybe even two or three, Terminator projects released before they would have to strike a new deal with Cameron for the franchise rights.

As for Lin directing the film I can't say that helming a project like Fast Five inspires much confidence (but honestly I haven't seen the flick yet). It just seems like he comes from a different kind of action world than we're used to seeing Terminator inhabit. I think that's largely why McG didn't pull off Terminator Salvation back in 2009. I guess we'll find out how Lin handles the material in the next two years or so. Anyway, the lesson from this news is that we should always listen to Schwarzenegger when he says, "I'll be back," and he'll likely be saying it again sometime soon. Stay tuned. Who's excited for Arnold's big return?!

Explore tags: Casting, Development, Featured, Movie News

equustel

As a HUGE Terminator fan: not thrilled with this news. I want the franchise to move *away* from Arnold toward the higher character-driven sci-fi storytelling exemplified by the Sarah Connor Chronicles. This franchise doesn't need Arnold anymore. I wish the rights holders realized this and stopped trying to make the franchise take two steps back all the time. I realize Arnold is the icon of the franchise to the general public, but isn't it high time we changed that? I want a story about the Connors and the Reeses, dammit.

Last Son

Terminator Salavation was crap for a lot of reasons but the main problem was that Arnold was not in it. Having no Arnold in Terminator is like not having Harrison in Indiana Jones.

http://twitter.com/fungusmonkey Peter Sorensen

So he'd be playing a slower, sagging, flabby version of the Terminator? There's a reason they used a digital double in Salvation, and it wasn't because Arnie was too busy, lol.
http://twitter.com/DwainIBe DwainIBe

Always down for more Terminator films.
http://DaftBot.com DaftBot

I dug the HELL out of Fast 5. They'll digitally enhance Arnie...
Dkash

McG Jr directing. Can't freaking wait...yawn.
Manuel

Epic.
McWilly

Im die hard for Terminator movies, so bring it. As far as McG Jr directing, I will wait to see Fast 5. Truth said that series blows, but from the trailers.. this one is the only one I have been a little exited for. Thats cuz the Rock looks like a bus and I have always wanted to see Diesal and Rock clash since Pitch Black and The Mummy Returns
Ryderup

the news article doesn't state that Lin is actually attached...

http://www.firstshowing.net Alex Billington

I think her leaving him out was the mistake... It's written in the headline and Nikki Finke doesn't usually screw up something like that, she just forgot to include details about his involvement, though he's mentioned at one point being involved.

Ryderup

Ok. I understand!

LW

"Yo dawg! Youse bout ta get mad term-to-the-ated John ConnAHH! PEASE!"
Awtan90

As a hardcore Terminator fan I can't deny that I would be excited to see Schwarzenegger reprise his greatest role, but let's be honest here, every single thing in the Terminator franchise after T2 has been terrible. T3 is terrible. The TV show is horrible, I watched the pilot episode and realized they were attempting to fuse a teen drama with Terminator concepts, two things that should never be put together. I wanted to love Terminator Salvation and for a while I thought I did, but then I realized the only things I liked in the movie were throwbacks to the two original films. They just need to put the Terminator away for a while and let people forget about it. There's no way they could ever bring it back up to the bar that T1 and T2 set, so in my opinion they shouldn't even try.
Big Boss

The T-800yearsold. lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9emWB_rrMt0 Crapola

All of you have mental health problems. He's 64 years old, he should maybe play roles more suited to his age. Why would a machine make a chubby old weightlifter robot? You really need to get that nostalgia out your heads, he was good at playing emotionless robots for good reason.
Ron

Really? Another Terminator movie? Why? Seriously not needed.
http://www.tomvatterott.blogspot.com Tom Vatterott

I've been a Terminator fan since I was little, and I have to say, this is pretty disheartening. I would have been content if it had ended with T2
Drumzamazin

I like what McG did with Terminator Salvation. I think it was a good step in the franchise moving away from Arnold and bringing in or focusing on other characters more. I think T3 was an epic fail, but I wouldnt be mad at McG doing another one.
Anonymous

Do not understand for the life of me why people didnt like Salvation. It was so good! It might not have been T2, but it was certainly better than T3. Why theyre wanting to go back to making borderline cheesy action movie terminator, instead of going deeper into the John/Reese stories is freakin beyond me

Lagoya

I completely agree, T3 was garbage but Salvation was a great film! What did you guys expect? another send-a-cyborg-back-in-time-to-kill-John-Conner storyline?! come on

Ryderup

No. But a decent film.

Anonymous

The first Terminator then Salvation and The Sarah Connor Chronicles are the only good things about the terminator series. A teen drama TSCC was not anyone who's watched the show knows that! Terminator 2 could have been good if it weren't for the fact that the Terminator was sent back to kill Sarah as a Last Ditch Effort! The machines were already beat! so 2 and 3 make no sense what so ever. Getting Ahnold and making a new lets go back in time flick is just beating a dead horse.
Anonymous

As a terminator fan, I hope this picks up where T4 left off. And ... if you actually watched the TV series which fits in nicely between T2 and T3 timeline wise (notice, they didnt finish the series and mentioned that John and Sarah gets sent back in time to where Sarah dies of cancer ... had the series finished). This is all exciting.

Nick

As a Harry Potter fan, I think arnold is super old....

John1

As a Terminator fan, I think Daniel Radcliffe is too old....lol...yeah arnie's too old.

Mark Buffalo

I was hoping they only make another Terminator film if the script was good and that they hopefully conclude the movie series. When they announced that Helena Bonham Carter was playing the main villain in Terminator: Salvation, I was expecting her to be the Skynet equivalent of the Borg Queen from Star Trek. I was so disappointed in the end when I saw the film and it was a wasted opportunity to have a really iconic and memorable villain in the franchise. They should have had a confrontation between her, Christian Bale and Sam Worthington towards the end like with Picard, Data and the Borg Queen in Star Trek: First Contact's climax Arnold Schwarzenegger needs to do more dramas rather than just doing huge action blockbusters because he pigeonholed himself as an actor who just did action movies. He is an underrated actor. So, I hope that he does more dramas, tries to reach his full potential as an actor and tries to win an Oscar.
Frank Drebin's Beaver

The story has been butchered by the wonderful duo of Brancato and Ferris, the writers of Catwoman. Need I say more? And Arnold, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Look at all these other brilliant scripts, such as With Wings As Eagles and Crusade! The Terminator died as soon as he put those Elton John Sunglasses on; leave it be and move on.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_I72ENBWUEJLZPU5J4NSEPDKBMI Circadia

Yay! Please tell me there will be HUGE machines and even BIGGER explosions than all the other films combined because that's what Terminator is all about!!!!!!!! Bleh. Someone wake me when there's a Sarah Connor Chronicles movie.
http://twitter.com/RoxyBisquaint Roxy Bisquaint

I'd much rather see Sarah battling Kaliba, Joh Henry confronting his brother, Cameron getting her chip back, and John finding his way back to present day.
Misanthrope

Arnold Schwarzenegger returning to terminator....fail, Justin Lin of fast five directing......fail, in summary epic fail
tir na nog

Not good news,Ahnuld should have done the Nazi movie he was talking about,and I see no reason why Cameron couldn't write him in to the Avatar sequels since the first film was very military.
ED

Terminator 3 and 4 were tragedy.Terminator without Cameron means NOTHING.

Awtan90

Exactly

Anonymous

I'm as nostalgic as the next film fan and T2 certainly set the bar even holding up to most films these days, but while I should be excited I can't help from thinking of Sean Connery's words in The Last Crusade, "Indiana (or Arnie rather)...let it go"
http://woodge.com woodge

Oh ferchrissake! Arnie is OLD news. It's past time to pass the torch. I didn't think Salvation was so bad! It was a step in the right direction though not perfect by any means. But to bring Arnie back?! Bad idea.
Sanka

This site has turned into nothing more than a cheap gossip and rumor sheet that rivals The National Enquirer and Entertainment Tonight. I used to love First Showing but The quality of the articles here are now embarrassing. Bye Alex and Ethan!
Spider

This could be surprising! I sure hope they get a top notch story in order, first! Arnold Schwarzenegger can make another huge splash with another, "Terminator" flick! I would just feel a lot more confident if Jonathan Mostow would return to the franchise. "T-3" was a worthy sequel to both Cameron's installments!
Semper Fi 3316

bad idea. Arnie is just to old, he was already to old in part 3 of the series. Salvation wasn't that bad onley the end did suck...
http://www.facebook.com/michael.p.shipley Michael P. Shipley

The best thing is for them to just use a digitized version of Arnold like in Salvation with Arnold only providing the voice. That would be cool.