Terminator 4 to be Called Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins

A couple of news from the T4 movie front. 1) The Halcyon Company, the people fronting the money for the sequels, has partnered up with Warner Bros. to distribute the film in North America; 2) The official title of T4 is now Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins, and as expected is the first of a trilogy that will spin the storyline away from John Connor and company, including new heroes and a new plot; and 3) There is news about Arnold’s involvement in T4 — well, sort of.

Trade paper Variety has all the news. Regarding the Halcyon/Warner deal:

Warner Bros. has acquired North American distrib rights to “Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins,” triggering an early 2008 production start for a film that seeks to reinvent the cyborg saga with a storyline to be told over a three-pic span.

WB plans to distribute “Terminator Salvation” in summer 2009.

The Warner deal dashes MGM’s hopes of corralling distribution rights to the film. The Lion planned to pepper its slate with tentpoles such as “The Hobbit” and “Terminator,” but neither project has worked out for the distributor.

The plot of T4:

A screenplay has been completed by “Terminator 3″ scribes John Brancato and Michael Ferris, and the financiers and studio are close to locking a director. While industry buzz has “Charlie’s Angels” director McG as the odds-on favorite for the assignment, the producers said no final decision had yet been made.

The first two “Terminator” films, directed by James Cameron, used contemporary settings to pit Sarah and John Connor against indestructible cyborgs. “T3″ was also set in the present day and ended just as the machines initiated a nuclear apocalypse. “Terminator Salvation” was deliberately not given a number after its title, because Halcyon is eager to make it clear that the fourth film heads into an entirely different setting.

“This is set in the future, in a full-scale war between Skynet and humankind,” Anderson told Daily Variety.
More than one option

Borman said: “The third film was really the conclusion of what happened in the ‘now.’ You will find the most-loved characters, but the intention here is to present a fresh new world and have this be the first of a trilogy.”

And Arnold’s potential involvement:

The producers said it wasn’t yet clear whether Arnold Schwarzenegger will be back for his fourth appearance in the franchise that launched his movie career. “T3″ was the last film in which he starred before becoming governor of California.

“We’ve left it open for him to maybe do a cameo,” Borman said. “He has an important job, as we know, and the final decision will be based on his desire and availability, along with what the director wants.”

It definitely looks like T4 is getting fast-tracked, which means we can expect it in Summer 2009 for sure.