Paramount Pictures looks likely to distribute the fifth entry in The Terminator franchise, which Arnold Schwarzenegger (who turns 66 next month) recently confirmed that he intends to be involved in, and probably lead.
The Wrap reports that rights-holders and financial backers Annapurna and Skydance are negotiating with the studio to become the new home for the three-decades old science fiction saga. Patrick Lussier (director of Drive Angry and My Bloody Valentine 3D) and Laeta Kalogridis (Shutter Island, Avatar) have been writing the screenplay for the movie since the turn of the year, though no specific plot details have yet been released. A few drafts exist before they came on board and a little while back Fast and Furious filmmaker Justin Lin was originally going to direct Terminator 5 but commitments on Fast and Furious 6 forced his hand and he pulled out. Paramount originally wanted Terminator 5 to be in production by last December and as they've already missed that start, there's a good chance Lin will be the intended director for this project. Lin did leave the door open for a possible return should the Terminator production wheel be delayed, which it has been.
As for where the franchise could go... despite on paper the saga looking completely damaged after Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines and Terminator Salvation, the series actually has the positive of being able to somewhat start a fresh. With some clever writing and planning and smart use of time travel, they have a chance here to take the saga in a new direction. Though I somewhat fear the writers will go back to the beginning and the Sarah Connor timeline from the original movie... though J.J. Abrams' Star Trek did prove that there is a way to go back and make it work. Though I don't know how you make that work with Arnie at the age he is now. The producers have until 2019 before the Terminator rights revert back to James Cameron and there'll be a determination from producer Megan Ellison to get several movies made as she paid a whopping $20 million just for the cinematic rights two years ago. Plenty of time for them still to plan out a trilogy that can finally deliver a worthwhile follow-up to the Cameron films. The series has already botched so much promise with only two films and a lackluster tv series... it's time for someone to put it right. Click "next" below to read our article from December planning out
10 Ways A Terminator Sequel Could Work