Schwarzenegger is an Oldie but Goodie In Terminator Genisys

You can't think of Arnold Schwarzenegger without thinking of his iconic role as The Terminator. They go together like bacon and eggs, apple and cinnamon, you can't have one without associating it with the other. Schwarzenegger has a long list of accomplishments to his name but playing James Cameron's Terminator would always be in the top. It would be interesting to note that Schwarzenegger was originally lined up to play Kyle Reese but upon meeting him, Director James Cameron knew he would be a great fit as The Terminator. 

The character of The Terminator is one of the few who was able to transcend roles, in the first movie he was the main antagonist who you would come to fear and hate but in the sequel Terminator: Judgement Day he transcends the role of angagonist to become someone the audience would cheer for and even become a sort of father figure to the then teenage John Connor. 

With the upcoming 5th movie in the franchise, Terminator Genisys I was really curious as to how Schwarzenegger and his character would fit in, given that he is already in his 60s. 

According to producer David Ellison, “’Terminator Genisys’ is not a remake, it’s not a reboot, it’s not a sequel—it’s really a reimagining based on the James Cameron source material. Exploiting the inherent nature of time travel, we go off on a divergent timeline to take these characters that audiences and I grew up with in a completely new direction.”

“I don’t think you can make a Terminator movie without Arnold,” suggests director Alan Taylor. “Certainly, I couldn’t imagine it without him. There’s something about the way he and Cameron built that character and then within the two movies explored such different sides of that character that he basically set the parameters for that world – that mythology means it would be really hard for me to think of a Terminator movie that let go of him.”

“I was very happy to be involved,” admits Schwarzenegger. “I got a phone call telling me that David and Megan Ellison had acquired the rights and the first thing I thought was, “Finally they are doing another one! And finally I am again in the movie! Also, I was very happy when I heard who was writing the script. I just liked the direction it was taking from the beginning.”

Screenwriter Laeta Kalogridis says, “I considered Arnold’s character the ultimate Tin Man—how does he become the cornerstone and the heart of the story, for a character that essentially has no heart? There was something really tantalizing about the idea of Arnold playing a Terminator who has aged—of not trying to do any crazy CG stuff, but to respect the change in the actor. The Terminator was always very much of its time—so to be able to tell the story in the moment and the age that Arnold is…it interested us all. The human tissue surrounding the cyborg ages, but he’s also aged on the inside through his very long experience with humans all this time. We thought it would be so much fun to explore.”

Jason Clarke is a New John Connor in Terminator Genisys

The Terminator's John Connor probably has the most portrayals by different actors at different ages of his life in the history of the franchises' many incarnations and retellings. The character is first portrayed by a teenage Edward Furlong in Terminator 2: Judgement Day to which the actor has won a Saturn Award and MTV Movie Award for his breakthrough performance. 

Here have been the different portrayals of John Connor since: 

23 year old Nick Stahl in 2003's Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines. 

19 year old Thomas Decker in 2008's TV series: Termimator- The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

Christian Bale portrays a 34 year old John Connor in Terminator: Salvation in 2009.

Jason Clarke is the new John Connor in the upcoming Terminator: Genisys out in July 1, 2015. 

Since Terminator Genisys is out next week let's talk about Jason Clarke our new John Connor. 

He is most known for his lead roles in the Academy Award®-nominated film “Zero Dark Thirty” and the hit sci-fi sequel “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.” Now, Australian actor Jason Clarke returns to the big screen to re-invent the iconic character, John Connor, in Paramount Pictures' new action-thriller “Terminator Genisys.”

In the film, when John Connor, leader of the human resistance, sends Sgt. Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) and safeguard the future, an unexpected turn of events creates a fractured timeline. Now, Sgt. Reese finds himself in a new and unfamiliar version of the past, where he is faced with unlikely allies, including a new T-800 terminator, the Guardian (Arnold Schwarzenegger), dangerous new enemies, and an unexpected new mission: To reset the future…

Casting the part of John Connor—particularly for this John Connor, whose character runs the gamut from messianic to maniacal—was an acknowledged challenge among filmmakers. Producer Dana Goldberg begins, “We knew John Connor was going to be one of the hardest roles to cast, because he has to be charismatic—here’s the guy people who have no hope choose to be their hope. These are people who’ve had everything taken away from them, and yet, when this man stands up and says that it’s time to fight, they’ll go to the ends of the earth for him.”

Producer David Ellison continues, “The thing about John Connor is he’s tortured. For some, he’s a prophet, but he says in our movie that he cheats, that his mother raised him and told him everything that was going to happen. That’s a huge burden, and something we’ve found fascinating about John Connor’s character—he will lead all of these people and, in reality, he knows that a great deal of them are going to die.”

Adds Goldberg, “There’s a moment in the film where John wishes a soldier good luck, and the soldier says that he doesn’t need luck—he has John Connor. When we shot it, David and I traded smiles, because we knew that Jason would just fill that moment with everything going on inside—appreciating what the soldier said, but also wishing that there was another world in which this was not his position to fulfill. We think people are going to be blown away by Jason Clarke in this movie.”

Jai Courtney: The Soldier From The Future in Terminator Genisys

When I first heard that Jai Courtney would be playing Kyle Reese in Terminator Genisys, I was a bit dissapointed and I'm still a bit skeptical about it honestly. Mostly because I still remember Courtney as the cruel and sadistic Eric in the Divergent and Insurgent movies. The original Kyle Reese in the first Terminator movie (1984) Michael Biehn had a cute and likeable quality about him' that I haven't seen yet in Courtney. Of course I'm giving the Divergent alum a chance, the producers did cast him after all. 

In regards to the plot, Courtney reminds, “There will be stuff that the fans of the franchise are familiar with, like times and places and characters, but this film is different because we are not just carrying on with what we already know. Things have shifted somewhat…”

The chemistry between Sarah and Reese was at the forefront of producer Dana Goldberg’s mind when filmmakers began to audition actors for the part. She says, “We’d done the movie ‘Jack Reacher’ with Jai Courtney and loved him as a person, and thought he was a wonderful actor. We weren’t sure he was Reese. He came in and he tested with Emilia, and I remember standing on the stage watching his audition, and I emailed someone and said, ‘We just found our Kyle Reese.’ It was clear their first read together.”

I'm really looking forward to seeing him stand by Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) they are in a complicated relationship after all, being the parents of John Connor and all. 

(L) Michael Biehn as Kyle Reese in Terminator (1984) and
(R) Jai Courtney as Kyle Reese in Terminator: Genisys (2015). 

“When I heard there was going to be a fifth installment to this franchise,” says Courtney, “I didn’t freak out to begin with – I’ve been involved with pre-existing things before – and then I read the script in a locked room, you know with cell phones handed in and all that sort of stuff. That’s when I got pretty excited! I realized that that the guys behind this had the intention of making something pretty cool. That’s when I became invested in the idea.

“It was a pretty funny process getting the role,” narrates Courtney, “I was on a film in Australia shooting so I got on a plane Saturday morning, landed in LA, went straight to the audition with director Alan Taylor and the producers and Emilia, got back on a plane to Australia that night, missed Sunday and showed up for work Monday morning. So, just because of the 30 hours I had to spend in the air that weekend I was pretty sure I wanted this role just to make it worth it and fortunately it all worked out.”

James Cameron: Thumbs Up to Terminator Genisys

James Cameron and The T100.

When people hear the name James Cameron they immediately associate with movies like Aliens (1986), Titanic (1997) and Avatar (2009) among others, of course Director James Cameron, who has a Best Director Academy Award under his belt found his first success and acclaim in The Terminator (1984)-his directorial debut. *He directed Pirahna II in 1981 after the original director left due to creative differences with the producers. Cameron also received praise for the sequel to Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991). 

With the new Terminator Movie - Terminator Genisys set to hit the cinemas on July 1 it would be interesting to see what Cameron has to say about the upcoming movie. 

After an early screening of Paramount Pictures' Terminator: Genisys, Cameron has officially endorsed the upcoming series reboot. Watch the featurette in the video below. 

So what did Cameron like so much about Genisys? “It’s being very respectful of the first two films,” he continues in the clip, “and then all of a sudden it swerves and now I’m going on a journey.”

“Terminator Genisys” is directed by Alan Taylor (“Thor: The Dark World”) from a screenplay by Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier.

When John Connor (Jason Clarke), leader of the human resistance, sends Sgt. Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) and safeguard the future, an unexpected turn of events creates a fractured timeline. Now, Sgt. Reese finds himself in a new and unfamiliar version of the past, where he is faced with unlikely allies, including the Guardian (Arnold Schwarzenegger), dangerous new enemies, and an unexpected new mission: To reset the future…

*Opening across the Philippines on July 01, 2015, “Terminator Genisys” is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.*

Arnold Schwarzenegger reprises his role as the titular Terminator. 

The Terminator + Game Of Thrones Equation: Emilia Clarke is the new Sarah Connor

There are a few franchises that cross paths and become even closer than the theory of six degrees of separation as much as The Terminator franchise and the hit HBO series Game Of Thrones does. Here is how their equation works. 

1. Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister) played Sarah Connor in the Terminator TV spin off, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. 

2. Terminator Genisys director Alan Taylor is also a Game Of Thrones director! He directed tha last 2 episodes of Season 1 of Game Of Thrones. Taylor then became an executive producer for Season 2 of the TV series and went on to direct four more episodes. You can read more on Director Alan Taylor here. 

Director Alan Taylor on set. 

3. Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) is the new Sarah Connor! 

Let's talk more about that shall we? 

Mother's Mercy: Emilia Clarke as the new Sarah Connor. 

An undeniably talented actress, Emilia Clarke has garnered the attention of audiences for her pivotal performances and intriguing beauty. In 2013, Clarke received an Emmy Award nomination her portrayal of Daenerys Targaryen (or the Mother of Dragons) on HBO’s hit fantasy series “Game of Thrones,” based on the bestselling novels by George R.R. Martin.

To take on the iconic character of Sarah Connor, the filmmakers of Paramount Pictures' “Terminator Genisys” chose Emilia Clarke for the role. “We go back a long way,” smiles director Alan Taylor, clearly happy to be working with his “Game of Thrones” star again.

Producer David Ellison interjects, “We all love `Game of Thrones,' and there is a strength, and a sense of honor and nobility to Emilia—those are things that can’t be taught. You either have them or you don’t. I think those attributes work perfectly for Sarah Connor, whom I consider a seminal female heroine in cinema.”

Clarke echoes her colleagues when she says, “Arnold (Schwarzenegger) is the first thing that comes to mind when you say ‘Terminator,’ and you can’t do it without him. Probably what I love the most about this script is the relationship between the Guardian, played by Arnold, and Sarah. It’s the heart. It’s beautiful. We get to see his character in this whole other gorgeous light. Watching her all this time has kind of softened him—except, of course, when people have tried to kill her. That hasn’t softened him at all!”

While the guardianship of Sarah has had an effect on the Guardian, the Guardian’s presence has also affected Sarah. Co-star Jason Clarke feels, “Emilia brings a strength in femininity—the Sarah we pick up now is different. She didn’t have to grow up without a strong parental presence. I think there’s a bit more confidence in the woman, not just the paranoia of knowing there’s a future out there that’s trying to end her existence. There’s a bit more ‘girl about town’ that I think helps—you can see her truly start to fall in love with Kyle Reese.”

The weeks prior to the start of principal photography for “Terminator Genisys” saw Emilia Clarke entering the arena of training—the very physical shooting schedule included stunts, fights, heavy wirework and…weapons.

Clarke jokes, “Yeah, there was training every day with guns, lots of guns, and then some more guns, and then a few more guns thrown in. I didn’t know anything about guns before this film, and now, well, I know a lot about guns! Since I had done some stunt work before, they also had me preparing, to get a physical understanding of what was going to be needed. This Sarah was brought up by a Terminator to be a warrior, so she has a huge body of knowledge when it comes to fighting and survival. So a lot of what was done was to help me feel comfortable embodying that part of Sarah, always being prepared. I worked with an amazing military advisor, and a weapons specialist, and then stunts and just physical training.”

Mommy's very angry.
-Ian Malcolm. The Lost World: Jurassic Park.
Sorry guys! I'm still on a Jurassic World high!

Paramount Pictures presents the action-thriller “Terminator Genisys” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, J.K. Simmons Matthew Smith, and Byung-hun Lee.

In the film, when John Connor (Jason Clarke), leader of the human resistance, sends Sgt. Kyle Reese (Courtney) back to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) and safeguard the future, an unexpected turn of events creates a fractured timeline. Now, Sgt. Reese finds himself in a new and unfamiliar version of the past, where he is faced with unlikely allies, including a new T-800 terminator, the Guardian (Schwarzenegger), dangerous new enemies, and an unexpected new mission: To reset the future…

Will definitely be missing Game Of Thrones especially with the finale for season 5 just around the corner so I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the Mother Of Dragons on the big screen (for the first time) kick butt with big as* guns. 

Opening across the Philippines on July 01, “Terminator Genisys” is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.

Thrones & Thor Director Takes on the New Terminator

In probably the most "Ts" in a title-Alan Taylor whose directing portfolio includes episodes of the massively successful Game Of Thrones and Thor: The Dark World is stepping alongside the footsteps of James Cameron by taking the reins of the new Terminator Project: Terminator Genisys. 

Before battling Skynet, hanging out with a worn out T-800 and taking a trip to the past, Taylor directed the last two episodes of Season 1 of Game Of Thrones, he then moved on to work as an executive producer in Season 2 and went on to direct four more episodes. He earned his third Emmy nomination for his work in the successful HBO series. 

Fun Fact - Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister) played Sarah Connor in the TV spin off Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. 

Now we know how Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen in Game Of Thrones) landed the part of the new Sarah Connor. She's no longer the mother of dragons in this one but the mother of mankind's hope against the machines. (sorry - just had to say it).

Emilia Clarke says of Taylor: "Alan manages to get a beautiful marriage of old meets new, but also puts a very sensitive, intelligent spin on it. I think one of his goals with this movie is to ask what it is to be truly free as a human being, and the choices these characters have to make in deciding that. I think we are paying a lot of respect to the Terminator that has been before, and bringing it to this new audience today.”

From TV, Taylor moved on to movies, directing Thor: The Dark World earning more than $640 million worldwide. 

Most directors would not touch a new Terminator, the movies are a cult classic and continuing it's legacy can be a double edged sword, it can either be really successful, pleasing old fans and gaining a new generation of followers or it can crash and burn into a box office nightmare. 

Taylor says: I was looking at various potential projects but this was the first one that felt like I couldn’t at the beginning tell exactly how to do it: it was a puzzle to solve it and that made it exciting and interesting. There’s so much to love in the James Cameron's original mythology, and so much that the audience we’re hoping to reach is already in love with. At the same time the story’s moving forward – it’s got to get bigger and go into new directions and unlike other sequels this felt like a whole new ballgame and I wanted to see how we could pull that off.”

“What we’ve tried to do,” says Taylor, “is to begin in timelines that we know from the mythology and then take them in new directions, and do it in a way that makes sense so we see a future that we saw glimpses of in the previous movies and then we dive to a past that we’ve seen glimpses of in the past movies but this film tries to take us into new territory behind that while not contradicting any of the things we already know about this mythology.”

“It’s interesting,” concludes Taylor. “We’re sort of letting the audience know that we know what they are expecting and then, ‘Whoosh!’ [laughs] trying to flip it. And that’s something that goes deep into the DNA of the Terminator movies: Cameron’s first movie uses Arnold’s character in one way and then he completely inverted for the second and nobody saw it coming. You can go into new territory with characters that you already have a feeling for but they take you somewhere that you never saw coming.”

When I heard that there was going to be a new Terminator movie I honestly thought that it was going to be a reboot but when I saw the trailer I was really surprised that not only was it not a reboot but the movie was dealing with altered timelines. When I saw that I was determined to review my Terminator knowledge, which was why I searched high and low for a Terminator DVD. The first one is unfortunately not available but I was fortunate enough to watch it on Star Movies, the second movie is available on DVD for P100.00 (it still is) and I suggest you grab a copy before the price goes up. Forget Terminator 3 - I can't stand Claire Danes. 

Now that I've re-seen the first two Terminator movies (I've already seen the movies before as a kid- I just needed a little refresher). I'm really looking to the new movie. 

I'm not so sure though of Jai Courtney as the new Kyle Reese. Courtney played the sadistic Eric in the Divergent movies and I guess I still see his character in there.  Michael Biehn who played the original Kyle Reese was not just good looking but he had a kind look about him as well. I guess we'll just have to wait and see- I'm very protective of Khaleesi (Emilia Clarke) and I just want the best for her :p 

In Terminator Genisys, John Connor, the leader of the humans against Skynet instructs to Sgt. Kyle Reese to go back in time in 1984 to protect his mother Sarah Connor from a Terminator but instead of finding a scared waitress (as was Linda Hamilton's character in the 1984 original) Reese finds a skilled fighter and the Terminator who was supposed to kill her is now her guardian. Arnold Schwarzenegger reprises his role as the titular T-800 in the film. 

Bringing a new twist to an old favorite Terminator Genisys opens across the Philippines on July 1. Terminator Genisys is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures. 

Terminator 2 DVD Feature

There was this Movie Trivia sheet that was going around in the office and of course being a self-proclaimed a Movie Maven (and a bit competitive) I was excited to get right to answering the sheet.

This was how it worked: you would guess the movie from which a quote or a line was said and among the different lines that were asked, this one stood out: "Hasta La Vista Baby" of course this was a very easy question since it's mostly common knowledge that the line came from the Terminator franchise, how did I know it was from the second movie and not the first one ? Well there was a question in the trivia sheet that went: "I'll be back". Which I know came from the first Terminator movie since I finally got to re-watch it on Star Movies after searching (in vain) for the first movie on DVD. Logic also told me that "Hasta La Vista Baby" was something the T800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) could have learned from a teenage John Connor therefore Terminator 2: Jusgement Day, So I got two answers on the trivia sheet :) 

Seeing those lines reminded me that I still haven't watched the Terminator 2 DVD I got for only P100.00 from Eastwood Mall :) 

So when I got home I immediately placed the DVD on the player and got to relive (becasue I already saw it) one of the most well known movie franchises in pop culture history. 

The second movie takes place a few years after the first one ends. Sarah Conor (Linda Hamilton) is in a psychiatric facility (talking about the rise of the machines and a war in the future can land you in places like that). Her son John Connor (Edward Furlong) -the future hope of mankind is a rebellious teenager in the care of foster parents. Destiny catches up with the mother and son when the liquid metal, shape shifting T-1000 (Robert Patrick) is sent to the past to kill the young John Connor. An unknown hero is also sent from the future to stop the T-1000 and it's none other than the original antagonist of the first movie, Arnold Schwarzenegger's revamped T-800 who has been reprogrammed to protect the Connors instead of trying to kill them. 

A cult classic that should be part of any home movie collection Terminator 2: Judgement Day on DVD for P100.00 is a steal! Too bad there weren't extra features on it though :( 

Still it's a good time to catch up on your Terminator lore with the new movie Terminator Genisys coming out in July of 2015 (30 years after the original 'The Terminator' came out in 1985.) but instead of doing a reboot, the franchise is going to take a new twist in the story. Which is probably why it would be a good idea for you to review your Terminator terms and timelines so you don't sit in the movie house with your mouth open. 

Looking forward to this since Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) is putting on her leather jacket and will be wielding guns as the new Sarah Connor. Not so sure about Jai Courtney as the new Kyle Reese though- let's wait and see how the Divergent alum does when the movie comes out. 

Jurassic World is another movie from the past that is making a comeback and will be on cinemas on June 10, 2015. I saw an original boxed set of the Jurassic Trilogy for only P300.00 in Eastwood! It's the Magnavision kiosk across Fully Booked at the fourth floor of the Eastwood Mall. That's actually my next target :) hoping to acquire it before the 10th of June! 

Emilia Clarke as the new Sarah Connor and Arnold Schwarzenegger in the new Terminator Genisys (2015). 

Arnold Schwarzenegger in the original 1984 The Terminator.