He always promised he would be back.
Terminator star Arnold Schwarzenegger and original Sarah Connor actor Linda Hamilton
are back in action in a batch of new photos from the upcoming sci-fi sequel, Terminator:
Dark Fate.
One new photo released by the studio shows a grizzled and bearded Schwarzenegger, as
the T-800 model Terminator, sporting a scar and giving the stink-eye to someone off camera.
Another depicts Hamilton in character as Sarah Connor, looking older but no less battle-hardened
with a heavy vest of armor on her chest, and aviator sunglasses.
Though Terminator: Dark Fate does feature the two iconic franchise stars, it also brings
several new faces into the fold: Mackenzie Davis as a soldier-assassin named Grace, Natalia
Reyes as Dani Ramos , Diego Boneta as Miguel Ramos, and Gabriel Luna as a new type of Terminator.
IGN shared stills of each star new to the series in action, with shots including
Davis' Grace character staring down an opponent mid-fight,
Reyes' Dani peeking over her shoulder near a parked car in the middle of an open field,
Boneta's Miguel affecting a scowl from behind the wheel of a truck,
and Luna's Terminator dressed in what looks to be a military uniform while stalking through
some sort of high-tech facility.
Set after the events of T2: Judgment Day, Dark Fate will effectively do to the Terminator
franchise what 2018's Halloween revival did with its own series - by pretending most of
the sequels in the series didn't happen.
Instead, Dark Fate is reportedly picking up at the last point basically everyone agreed
the series was still good.
As a result, the movie won't address the events of 2003's Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,
2009's Terminator Salvation, or 2015's much-maligned Terminator Genisys - likely for the better.
As producer David Ellison once said of the film's focus,
"I will say we have resolved the future of the franchise, and believe me, it's an incredibly
bright future.
I think where it's going will be the continuation of what the fans really wanted since T2 … It's
something we're incredibly excited about and we think is the direction it needs to head."
James Cameron, the director and writer of the first two films and a longtime series
producer, is also back in the creative mix for Dark Fate, and he's previously shared
his vision for this transformative sixth movie in the franchise.
Speaking in an interview in July 2017, Cameron expressed that the goal with the forthcoming
movie is to pass the narrative baton through the introduction of new characters, while
also modernizing the doomsday narrative to reflect current technological anxieties.
He's also aware that the franchise needs a careful approach to bring it back in line
with the speculative sci-fi ambitions of the first two movies.
As Cameron phrased it,
"The question is, 'Has the franchise run its course or can it be freshened up?
Can it still have relevance now, where so much of our world is catching up to what was
science fiction in the first two films?'"
Despite how important the new characters may be for evolving and continuing the Terminator
series, Dark Fate director Tim Miller says that Linda Hamilton is the most vital piece
of this movie's puzzle.
He explained to IGN that Hamilton returning to her role as Sarah Connor made a vision
for the new sequel fall into place for him, and that her presence helps bridge the gap
between past franchise entries and installments that are yet to come.
"You think you're safe and alive?
You're already dead.
Everybody.
Him, you - you're dead already."
The director said, "The fact that Linda came back makes this particular Terminator fresh.
This story could only continue with her in the role of Sarah Connor.
That's the most important thing for me.
Linda reinvented this character in a way that both honors who she was before and brings
something new to the role."
He also gave major kudos to the new cast, all of whom he says hold their own and bring
something new to the table while sharing the screen with Hamilton and Schwarzenegger.
Miller also teased the movie's focus on character over big-budget spectacle, investing audiences
in the cast before putting them all in peril.
He said,
"We have a lot of powerful, moving character moments up front, but toward the back half
of the movie, when s--- gets going [...] it just doesn't stop.
And we tried very hard to make it all different and fresh - it's not just people punching
each other; it's a roller coaster ride and I think [it's] great."
Fans can watch as old-school meets new-school when Terminator: Dark Fate arrives in theaters
on November 1.
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