Terminator (franchise)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Terminator franchise | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Poster for Terminator Salvation (2009) | |
| Creator | James Cameron |
| Original work | The Terminator |
| Print publications | |
| Novels | Novelizations Infiltrator trilogy The New John Connor Chronicles |
| Comics | NOW Comics Dark Horse Comics Malibu Beckett Dynamite Entertainment |
| Films and television | |
| Films | The Terminator Terminator 2: Judgment Day Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines Terminator Salvation |
| Television series | Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles |
| Games | |
| Computer or video games | Terminator video games |
The Terminator series is a franchise encompassing a series of science fiction films and ancillary media concerning battles between Skynet's artificially intelligent machine network, and John Connor's Tech-Com forces and the rest of the human race. Skynet's most well-known products in its genocidal goals are the various terminator models, such as the original "Terminator" character, portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger in three films.
Films
[edit] The Terminator
The Terminator is a 1984 science fiction film written and directed by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, and Michael Biehn. It is the first work in the Terminator franchise. In the film, machines take over the world in the near future, directed by the artificially intelligent computer Skynet. With its sole mission to completely annihilate humanity, it develops cyborg assassins called Terminators that carry the outward appearance of humans. A man named John Connor starts the Tech-Com resistance to defeat them and free humanity. With a human victory imminent, the machines' only choice is to send a terminator back in time to kill John's mother, Sarah, before he is born, preventing the resistance from ever being founded. With the fate of humanity at stake, John sends soldier Kyle Reese back to protect his mother and ensure his own existence.
[edit] Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is the 1991 sequel to the original Terminator film, written, directed, and produced by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, and Robert Patrick. After the machines failed to prevent John Connor from being born, they try again, this time attempting to kill him as a child with a more advanced terminator, the T-1000. As before, John sends back a protector for his younger self, a reprogrammed Terminator, identical to the one from the previous film. After ten years of preparing for the future war, Sarah decides to use the same tactics the machines used on her: prevent Skynet from being invented by destroying Cyberdyne Systems before they create it.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is the 2003 sequel to Terminator 2, directed by Jonathan Mostow and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes, and Kristanna Loken. As a result of the destruction of Cyberdyne at the end of T2, the Skynet takeover has been postponed, not averted. In a last attempt to ensure a machine victory, a new terminator, the T-X, is sent back to kill as many lieutenants as possible, including John Connor and his future wife Kate. After the future Connor is terminated by an identical model to his previous protector, Kate reprograms it and sends it back to save them both from the T-X.
Terminator Salvation
Terminator Salvation is the upcoming fourth installment to the Terminator film series, scheduled to be released on May 22, 2009.[1] It was written by Jonathan Nolan, Anthony E. Zuiker, Shawn Ryan, and Paul Haggis, directed by McG,[2] and stars Christian Bale as John Connor.[3] After Skynet has destroyed much of humanity in a nuclear holocaust, John struggles to become the leader, but in this future, Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington, who was personally recommended by James Cameron[4]) has somehow altered it, and the T-800 (Roland Kickinger with Arnold Schwarzenegger's face rumored to be mapped onto his physique[5]) is coming online sooner than expected. The film will also center on Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin[6]) and how he became who he was in the first film.
Planned sequels
Director McG has announced that Terminator Salvation is the first of a new trilogy to revive the franchise, with both main actor Christian Bale and writer Jonathan Nolan signed up for two more films.[7] Due to generally positive reception to preview footage of the film, the Halcyon Company chose to develop a sequel in December 2008 for release in 2011. The producers mentioned the Middle East as a possible shooting location.[8]
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
A television series titled Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles airs on the FOX network, with Lena Headey as Sarah Connor and Thomas Dekker as John Connor. The series, created by Josh Friedman, centers on Sarah and John after Terminator 2 as they try to "live under the radar" after the explosion at Cyberdyne. Summer Glau plays a female Terminator protecting the Connors. Executive producer James Middleton confirmed in Variety that the series will contain a link to Terminator 4.[9] However, McG later clarified in an interview that show creator Josh Friedman "was the first to jump on and say we can't chase their story threads."[10]
