Everything You Need to Know About ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’

Time to Fix the Timeline

For those confused about everything that happened in the films after Terminator 2: Judgment Day, rest at ease. Cameron has said that those films are going to be ignored. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), Terminator Salvation (2009), and Terminator Genisys (2015) are all banished to the cemetery of failed movies. 

An official plot synopsis doesn’t exist at the moment, but a few plot points can be gathered from interviews with Cameron and by watching the trailer. We do know that Sarah Conner (Linda Hamilton) and Grace (Mackenzie Davis), who appears to be part machine, are teaming up to protect Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes) from a new Terminator. Also, according to the trailer’s description, the film takes place after Judgment Day.

The Avatar producer said added further detail about the upcoming film, “I think, tonally, what makes this a direct sequel to T1 and T2 is as much about the tone as it is about the narrative: It’s R rated, it’s grim, it’s gritty, it’s fast, it’s intense, it’s very linear. The whole story takes place in 36 hours. It’s not this kind of grandiose, complex story. It’s just very focused on the characters, it’s very now, it’s very present and it’s just a fast white-knuckle ride.”

Linda Hamilton & Arnold Return

In addition to Cameron returning to the franchise, Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger will be reprising their roles as Sarah Connor and The Terminator. Hamilton, who has been absent from the franchise since 1991’s T2, was a surprise return, while Arnold has been in every Terminator movie except Terminator Salvation. 

Hamilton was actually offered a part in T3 but decided to decline for artistic reasons. “I knew my character arc was so complete in the first two, and in the third one it was a negligible character,” said Hamilton. “She [Sarah Connor] died halfway through and there was no time to mourn her. It was kind of disposable, so I said no thank you.”

The Best of the Rest

Although Hamilton and Schwarzenegger are returning to the franchise, the film will also have an influx of new characters ready to show their worth in a post-T2 world. Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, and Gabriel Luna will round out the rest of the main Dark Fate cast. Despite these actors not being the biggest names in Hollywood, they have already won an award for best ensemble at this year’s CinemaCon. 

“With a cast that includes many familiar faces, as well as talented newcomers, the next chapter of this blockbuster franchise is sure to entertain audiences around the globe,” Mitch Neuhauser, CinemaCon’s managing director, said in a statement.

The Reveal Trailer

After the last two Terminator films failed critically and commercially, producer Cameron and director Tim Miller are hoping to get the Terminator franchise back on track. This trailer is a very good start.

The Director

Deadpool director Tim Miller will be directing the most recent Terminator reboot. He was in line to direct Deadpool 2, but Miller decided to take on a new challenge. He said, “I felt like there were more stories to tell there, but I’m happy that somebody else is telling them. And I’ve got to tell you, there was a sense of relief in that I get to do something new versus Deadpool 2.”

Rumor Report on John Connor

T6 picks up after the events of T2, and it’s only natural that we should have an eye out for John Conner (Edward Furlong). However, it appears that Furlong won’t be coming back. Instead, actor Jude Collie will serve as the new body double for the young John Connor with Edward Furlong’s facial likeness from Terminator 2 digitally applied.

The Score

For the sixth and potentially final Terminator film, Tom Holkenborg takes on composer duties. Better known as Junkie XL, Holkenborg has composed a wide range of soundtracks including movies, TV, and video games. His most notable composer work can be heard in Alita: Battle Angel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Deadpool, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and even Madden NFL 19. The man has got some skills. In addition to his musical contributions he also has preexisting chemistry with Cameron from Alita, and Miller on Deadpool. 

The New Terminator

Actor Gabriel Luna, best known as the Ghost Rider in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D TV series (2016 – 2017), has officially been cast as the newest Terminator. Luna has some extremely large shoes to fill if we’re going to compare him to Robert Patrick’s T-1000 Terminator, who was absolutely menacing through the entire Terminator 2 movie. Remember that iconic truck chase scene from T2  with T-1000?

Official first image of the new @Terminator. ⁦@ParamountPics⁩ ⁦@Skydance⁩ ??? pic.twitter.com/Q2y9zDJjGg

— Gabriel Luna (@IamGabrielLuna) April 4, 2019

For Luna, it’s unclear what model he will be, but we do know he’s been working out with Arnold and doing his best to look the part.

James Cameron Was Hands On

Terminator fans rejoice. Although some may see Cameron’s producer title as a mere smokescreen to reel fans back in, according to Schwarzenegger he was very involved in the filming. “He (Cameron) does get involved in the filming,” he said, “so there were interesting discussions about which direction to go with a certain scene or how the dialogue should finish or what the certain look should be of an individual and all that stuff so there was a big collaboration between Jim and Tim Miller. I feel it was in good hands with both of them.”

Release Date

Although the plot and the roles of the cast are a top secret at this time, we do know that Dark Fate is set for a November 1, 2019 release date.