Once Arnold Schwarzenegger confirmed that Terminator 5 (not the official title) is slated to begin filming by January 2014, it seemed inevitable that a Summer 2015 release date announcement would follow. Sure enough, Paramount has finalized a deal to co-finance and distribute the long-rumored project, setting in on course to arrive during what is shaping up to be the most tentpole franchise sequel-happy season on record (but more on that later…).
Perhaps more interesting, however, is a (not so insignificant) tidbit from the official press release provided by Skydance Productions, the current Terminator rights owner Annapurna Pictures and Paramount Pictures.
To be exact, we mean the one which reveals that the fifth Terminator movie will be “the first in a stand-alone trilogy.” The press release also refers to new film as “a rebooted ‘TERMINATOR’ movie,” and confirms that the script is going to be written by Laeta Kalogridis (Shutter Island) and Patrick Lussier (Drive Angry). Finally, Annapurna head Megan Ellison (Zero Dark Thirty) will be a producer on the film, alongside her brother David and Dana Goldberg and Paul Schwake (Star Trek Into Darkness, World War Z) as the executive producers.
So, what does this all mean for Terminator 5? Well, there have been a whole lot of questions and rumors about what we can expect from the fifth Terminator movie, be it further disruption of the series’ continuity (What continuity?) through the time-travel plot device – or what explanation (if any) will be provided for a 66-year old Schwarzenegger reprising “AS the Terminator” – and even the latest casting rumors, which suggest that Dwayne Johnson could play a new robotic menace (in a story that introduces several additional new characters).
The announcement of a new standalone Terminator movie trilogy does lend more credibility to certain aspects of the recent Johnson rumors (re: bringing new characters into the mix); though it doesn’t, per se, mean the wrestler-turned actor himself is now more likely to join Schwarzenegger in the film. Then again, in Hollywood nowadays it seems as though the rule of thumb is: when in doubt, bring “The Rock” aboard (not a bad approach, mind you).
That said: if you were holding out hopes that Terminator 5 would directly continue the post-apocalyptic storyline from Terminator Salvation, well… consider this update the official death toll, as far as that possible scenario is concerned. Basically, to answer the question that was previously raised: all bets are off, as far as the fifth Terminator installment is concerned right now.
Lastly, as mentioned before, Terminator 5 will reach theaters on June 26th, 2015. That is a week after Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed video game movie hits theaters, and a week before Roland Emmerich releases his long-delayed Independence Day sequel.
In addition, The Avengers 2 will begin the 2015 Summer Movie Season in May, followed sometime thereafter by Jurassic Park IV AND Pirates of the Caribbean 5 in July (a week after Independence Day 2 hits the scene). Oh, and did we mention that Star Wars: Episode VII is also making its way into theaters during that time frame?
How about it – will Terminator 5 be successful enough to justify making two more sequels (before Cameron reclaims the franchise rights)? Or will the film wind up becoming a casualty in a summer movie season – one in which Steven Spielberg and George Lucas’ prophecy of an implosion in the film industry comes (at the least, partially) true?
… Or, rather, will the final outcome fall somewhere in between those extremes? Let us know what you think in the comments section!
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Terminator 5 opens in U.S. theaters on June 26th, 2015.
