TERMINATOR 4 - He's Back?James Cameron's original The Terminator (1984) was one of the first "adult" films I ever saw and is therefore burned into my memory. It was such a gritty and nightmarish film with a perfect tone and sense of gloom.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) hit when I was at the perfect age to appreciate it (again, technically too young to see it at 12, but us kids have ways of seeing these 18-certificate films...) Again, a brilliant film bursting with imagination and amazing special effects. I remember everyone imitating the T-1000 in the playground for months afterwards...
And then came Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines (2003). The 12-year gap between T2 and T3 worked in the third film's favour, I think. Yes, Arnie wasn't as muscular or youthful as before (which was a shame), but the anticipation for T3 helped the movie coast along on goodwill. Yes, it's the worst Terminator film and has lots of problems... but it wasn't the total disaster many expected without Cameron in charge, and it actually contained some good moments (eg, the finale is beautiful). It was just a shame the hardcore adult nature of the previous films was replaced with something more humorous and watered-down.
Terminator 4. Hmmm. Well, the script is apparently written and rumour has it that the filmmakers are just waiting for Arnie to finish his term as Governor of California. I still can't see the Austrian Oak having as much input as before, though. He only just carried off the role in T3, and it's now three years later. It will probably be a few years before T4 becomes a reality, so Arnie will be even older. I hope he's involved, but I can actually imagine someone replacing him as the Terminator (same model, different face...)
The Rock is a name often mentioned as replacing Arnie in his most iconic role, and the pair are good friends. So it's possible. I think The Rock could pull it off... but Arnie will have to be in the mix somewhere. The plot will apparently focus on the time-travel aspect of the Terminator mythology, so we should see the Future War only glimpsed in flashforwards previously, and hopefully T4 will bring the saga full circle by letting us see John Connor send his own father back in time to 1984. That would be cool, and a fitting end.
Mind you, I haven't mentioned The Sarah Connor Chronicles. This is a TV series that looks set to become reality very soon, and will follow the adventures of Sarah Connor. Linda Hamilton will not reprise her movie role, and clearly the series will have to be set either between T1 and T2, or T2 and T3 (er, because Sarah is dead by the time T3 happens).
Could be interesting, could be terrible. It's difficult to see what the ongoing plot will be! Will a Terminator be chasing Sarah across America while she's pregnant with John? Will we see her on the run while John is with his foster parents (before being captured at the end of the series and put in T2's asylum? Who knows.
