“I’ll be back.”
Who can forget that iconic catchphrase used by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1984 science fiction film, “Terminator“? Though the catchphrase was subsequently used in the sequels, the story continues to revolve around the battles between Skynet’s synthetic intelligent machine network and John Connor’s Resistance forces, as well as the rest of the human race.
The franchise, which was first envisioned by James Cameron (of “Titanic” and “Avatar” fame) and Gale Anne Hurd, is currently receiving a “Star Trek“-like reboot at Paramount Pictures. The first instalment of the rebooted franchise marks Schwarzenegger’s first movie in 12 years, as he last appeared as T-800 in 2003’s “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines”. His character was replaced by a digital computer graphics version for the 4th instalment of the franchise, “Terminator Salvation” (2009).
Titled “Terminator Genisys“, the movie will re-introduce the iconic characters including Sarah Connor, John Connor, and Kyle Reese. Set on a post-apocalyptic world in 2029, the Resistance, which is led by John Connor (played by Jason Clarke), is on the verge of winning a war against Skynet. When John is told that the rival has a new plan that will change the warfare forever, his 2nd commander Kyle Reese (played by Jai Courtney) volunteers to travel back into the past to prevent the Terminator from killing John’s mother, Sarah Connor (played by Emilia Clarke).
However, an unexpected turn of events creates a fractured timeline and Kyle finds himself in a new and unfamiliar version of the past. He is faced with unlikely allies, including the Guardian (played by Schwarzenegger), dangerous new enemies, and an unexpected new mission: To reset the future.
In conjunction with the release of the film, here are some of the things you might not know about “Terminator Genisys”:
Note: This article contains potential spoilers.
1. Schwarzenegger did not dye his grey hair because the Terminator androids in “Terminator Genisys” can age like normal humans
When the first “Terminator” film was released, Schwarzenegger was only 37 years old. However, time proves that the actor is not a real cyborg as his grey hair became noticeable.
Instead of using CGI to make him appear 30 years younger, the screenplay allowed his character to age like a normal human being. Cameron, who was involved in the production, told producers David Ellison and David Goldberg that the living human tissue generated and grown on The Terminators is not actually synthetic but organic. Therefore, the Terminators can age. If they were sent back through time and missed their target, they may end up living in society. Due to their brain, which is a central processor (a learning computer), the Terminators could actually become more human and would go undiscovered.
Thus, Schwarzenegger can be seen sporting his natural grey hair as his character ages in “Terminator Genisys”.
2. Tom Hardy was considered for the role of John Connor
John Connor is a messianic figure who leads the Resistance to defeat military supercomputer Skynet and its army of robotic Terminators. He was first portrayed by teenage actor Edward Furlong in the 1991 sequel of the original “Terminator” film, “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”.
The character was subsequently portrayed by 23-year-old Nick Stahl in the 2003 film, “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines”. The 19-year-old actor Thomas Dekker also portrayed John in the 2008 television series titled “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”. English actor Christian Bale portrayed a 34-year-old Connor in “Terminator Salvation”. However, he was unavailable to reprise the role.
Bales’ “Public Enemies” co-star Jason Clarke replaced him by playing a 45-year-old Connor in “Terminator Genisys”, but “Mad Max: Fury Road” actor Tom Hardy was once considered for the role of John Connor. At that time, Hardy was best known for his role as Bane in Christopher Nolan‘s “The Dark Knight Rises“.
3. “Come with me if you want to live” marks the 5th consecutive time the line has been used in the “Terminator” franchise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2Dp7SAkL_I
Similar to “I’ll be back”, the line “Come with me if you want to live” was once again featured in the new “Terminator” film. The catchphrase was first uttered by Kyle Reese in the original film. The reprogrammed T-800 said it in the 2nd film while John Connor said, “Do you wanna live? Come on!” in the 3rd. Kyle said it again in 2009’s “Terminator Salvation“.
In “Terminator Genisys”, the line was uttered by Sarah Connor instead, making it the first time she has used the line.
4. Sam Reid, Taylor Kitsch, and more screen-tested for the role of Kyle Reese
Before Jai Courtney was selected to portray Kyle Reese, a number of actors were considered for the role.
Nicholas Hoult (of “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “X-Men” fame) and Garrett Hedlund (of “Tron: Legacy” fame) were originally shortlisted to play, but they refused to test for the roles. It was then revealed that the producers were looking for lesser known names to play Reese. Courtney, who was eyed by the studio, screen-tested the role alongside Boyd Holbrook, Wilson Bethel, Sam Reid, Taylor Kitsch, and Thomas Cocquerel. The list of candidates was then narrowed down to Holbrook and Courtney.
After numerous screen tests, Courtney emerged as the top choice.
5. Margot Robbie and Brie Larson screen-tested for the role of Sarah Connor
Emilia Clarke, who is best known for her role as Daenerys Targaryen in HBO’s “Game of Thrones“, is starring in “Terminator Genisys” as Sarah Connor.
Clarke was in contention with Brie Larson and Margot Robbie before she was eventually cast for the role. The casting reunites Clarke with director Alan Taylor, who helmed 6 episodes of “Game of Thrones”. The young Sarah Connor was portrayed by Taylor’s daughter, Willa Taylor.
6. The body of young Arnold Schwarzenegger is provided by body-builder Brett Azer
Though CGI wasn’t used to make Schwarzenegger look younger, a body-builder named Brett Azar was hired to portray his younger self in “Terminator Genisys”.
As seen in the trailer, a scene from the original film was recreated, with the nude Arnie from 31 years ago demanding a group of punks to hand over their clothes. However, the scene was later interrupted by the old Arnie, who has been waiting to destroy his doppelgänger. The body of young Arnie in the movie is revealed to have been provided by Azar. Ink dots were placed on Azar’s face to aid the digital mapping as well.
According to Azar, Schwarzenegger, who has always been his body-building idol, gifted him cigars and several body-building magazines after the first day of shooting.
7. Arnie provides turn-by-turn directions through Waze
Driving around with the navigation app has never been more fun! As previously reported, Waze helped promote “Terminator Genisys” by forming a partnership with Paramount Studios.
First reported by USA Today, former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is providing turn-by-turn directions as his titular character from the “Terminator” franchise. In addition to directions, drivers can expect an Austrian-accented “Hasta la vista, baby” at the end of each trip, along with some other classic Arnie phrases.
Apparently, Arnie only took an hour’s worth of studio time to record the automated prompts so don’t expect him to be saying “Changkat Bukit Bintang” or any random Malaysian street name. This isn’t the first time that Waze has worked with famous voices as it previously helped promote “Ride Along” with Kevin Hart’s voice. Terry Crewes also worked with the navigation company to promote “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”.
8. A total of 2 sequels are already in the works
Before “Terminator Genisys” was even released, Paramount already greenlit 2 sequels to the film. The first sequel will be released on 1st July 2015 while the 2nd and the 3rd instalment of the rebooted trilogy will open on 19th May 2017 and 29th June 2018 respectively.
All film rights to the “Terminator” franchise will revert back to James Cameron by the year of 2019. It was rumored that the following film will be mark Schwarzenegger’s last appearance as the Terminator.
9. T-800’s smiling scene is a nod to a scene cut from “Terminator 2: Judgement Day”
As seen in the trailer, Schwarzenegger’s T-800 gave Courtney’s Reese an awkward big smile when he said “Nice to meet you!” to him. Sarah then stated that she had been teaching the Terminator to blend in.
This scene was apparently written as a nod to a scene that was cut from 1991’s “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”, where John teaches the Terminator to smile so that he can be more human and blend in. In that particular scene, the Terminator appeared to be imitating a man who was smiling while talking on a phone. He showed his imperfect and crooked smile to John, but John responded by telling the Terminator that he should try practicing in front of a mirror first.
10. The film was mainly inspired by the 2nd half of “Back to the Future Part II”
Before screenwriters Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier agreed to the film, they turned down the offer thrice. It was revealed that “they didn’t like the storyline for the 3rd and 4th instalments without affecting the first 2 films”. They then agreed to pen the script after Cameron gave them his blessing to do so.
According to Kalogridis, the film was mainly inspired by the 2nd-half of 1989’s “Back to the Future Part II”, where Marty McFly (played by Michael J. Fox) ended up traveling back to the year 1985 after the older Biff Tannen’s (plaeyd by Thomas F. Wilson) visit to the year 1955.
They also used the best moments from the first 2 “Terminator” films as a base for their story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGSxss7gWak
Directed by “Thor: The Dark World” helmer Alan Taylor, “Terminator Genisys” is the first in a planned trilogy based on a screenplay written by Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier. The film also stars J.K. Simmons, Dayo Okeniyi, Courtney B. Vance, and “Doctor Who” actor Matthew Smith.
It is slated for a release on 2nd July 2015.
For more information, visit the movie’s official Facebook page.
(Sources: Collider, Variety, The Terminator Fans / Image source: comingsoon.net)
