Editorial Staff
Arnold Schwarzenegger and the cast of “Terminator : Dark Fate” appeared at CinemaCon to promote the upcoming Tim Miller-directed film, in turn presenting the first footage from the film- which boasts “Terminator” creator Jim Cameron as producer.
Miller (“Deadpool”), Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, and Gabriel Luna joined Paramount boss Jim Gianopulos to unveil the action-packed showreel from the November release.
“The story picks up where Jim Cameron left off with T2,” explained the big man, Gianopulos.
Yep, as you’ve been reading, “Dark Fate” skips the events of every film following 1991’s “Terminator 2 : Judgement Day” – so don’t expect to see a John Connor-Terminator again.
Linda Hamilton tells Variety it’s a wise choice that Miller and Cameron have made to disregard everything post “T2” : “You start something and you’re invested in the franchise, but somehow the characters that you care about weren’t there. Too many people, too many story points. So I think we’ve done a good job of narrowing down the focus again so it will echo the first two films.”
Still, the actress was reluctant to do another “Terminator” movie.
“I gave it probably six weeks of intense thinking and consideration before deciding to do it. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to. I didn’t want it to look like a shameless money grab,” she said. “I am living this quiet, lovely life that doesn’t involve being a celebrity, and you really have to think, do I really want to trade that in again for another 15 minutes?”
And if there’s another?
“I’m going to fake my own death so I don’t have to do another one.”
“To say that this movie was a labor of love for me is an enormous f*cking understatement,” Miller said, choking up on stage.
“This is a fundraiser for my next political race,” joked Schwarzenneger, “I’m so excited to have everyone back — Jim Cameron and Linda Hamilton. It”s where it all began in 1984, and it changed my life.”
He added: “Do you remember in Terminator 2 she was doing push-ups and chin-ups. How can a girl do this? She came to the set and did this again.”
“It has been nearly 30 years since I last stepped into the shoes of Sarah Connor, a character who definitely changed my life,” said Linda Hamilton. “And only a script, a story, a director like this could bring me back into this world — a perfect confluence of events. Once in a lifetime, or maybe twice, an event comes along that you cannot turn away from. And for me, this is that moment.”
Here’s what was shown :
Via /Film :
The first footage opens on Mexico City at night. On a highway on a bridge, the road begins to ice up and electricity begins to crackle all around it while a thick wall of fog appears. A time travel bubble materializes in the middle of the bridge, breaking it in half and sending the female figure within it flying several dozen feet to the ground below, while the cars on the highway crash into each other — perhaps a nod to how time travel in past films always seems to take place on level ground. Two onlookers, a Mexican couple making out in the river tunnel, pick up the naked and groggy time traveler, who is revealed to be Mackenzie Davis. Davis’ character is either a Terminator or enhanced in some way, as evidenced by the way she reacts and attacks the cops that approach her when they arrive on the scene. The attack is shown in Davis’ character’s POV, with on-screen displays from her vision popping up onscreen. The couple watches in amazement and utter, “Thanks lady, you just saved our asses.” She replies to not thank her just yet and, sizing up her foot against the guy’s foot, takes his clothes and drives off in their car.
In a new scene, black metallic T-1000 style sludge forms into the villain (Gabriel Luna) who can split into two and reform another Terminator. He and an endoskeleton Terminator chase after Davis’ character, who is protecting a young girl. “When they start to kill me, run” Davis says to the little girl before Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) suddenly appears and begins blasting the blasting at the Terminators with a huge gun. Battle-worn and badass, Sarah Connor then pulls a rocket launcher off her shoulder and blows the Terminator away.
The last piece of footage includes a montage of Luna’s liquid Terminator slicing through soldiers in a hallway with sharp arms, Sarah Connor fighting alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800, a shot of the T-800 bursting through a door in a helicopter, a glimpse of Davis blasting Terminators with tentacles in what appears to be a Judgment Day-ravaged battlefield, and finally a closing shot of Sarah Connor dropping a bomb over the side of a bridge and cooly saying, “I’ll be back.”
Though the franchise has seen false starts in the past, Peter says that this gritty and impressive footage is enough to get us excited about this aged franchise again.
Paramount Pictures’ #Cinemacon presentation was rather hit & miss. The footage from Rocketman is amazing & Taron Egerton will be getting lots of award season love from it. Terminator Dark Fate looks promising. Sonic still looks eh but Jim Carrey is hilarious in it.
— Scott Menzel (@TheOtherScottM) April 4, 2019
Tim Miller is legit choked up on stage showing off footage from #Terminator: Dark Fate. It looks like an epic movie, in every way but you really just gotta love Miller being so genuine.
— Brandon Davis (@BrandonDavisBD) April 4, 2019
Look, y’all, I was very doubtful about the need for another TERMINATOR, but that footage fucking owned. Direct sequel to T2, apparently ignores the others.
— Scott Wampler™ @ CinemaCon (@ScottWamplerBMD) April 4, 2019
Check out more pics from “Terminator : Dark Fate” here.
“Terminator : Dark Fate” opens November 1.
