Terminator will return to the screen as a new series titled Terminator Zero, which will air on Netflix at the end of next month, on August 29.
However, in a major twist, the show will not be live-action like the iconic films the project is based on, but will instead be an anime with a total of eight episodes.
On Tuesday, Netflix Anime took to X to share a release date and poster to give fans an idea of what the show will look like.
‘Judgment Day comes early: Catch a sneak peek of the NEW series on July 5 at Anime Expo, and don’t miss the premiere of TERMINATOR ZERO on August 29, only on Netflix,’ the subtitle read.
The photo showed a robot’s hand being held by a human while a fire raged in the distance in a nearby town.
Terminator is returning to the screen as a new series titled Terminator Zero, which will air on Netflix at the end of next month, on August 29.
On Tuesday, Netflix Anime took to X to share a release date and poster to give fans an idea of what the show will look like.
According to the publication, viewers will have the chance to hear more about Terminator Zero at Anime Expo 2024, which kicks off at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Thursday, July 4.
The series’ voice actors include Timothy Olyphant, known for his roles in projects such as Justified and Santa Clarita Diet.
Olyphant took on the role of Terminator alongside other stars Rosario Dawson, Andre Holland, Sonoya Mizuno and also Ann Dowd.
The premise follows a soldier from 2022 who travels back in time to 1997 “to change the fate of humanity,” according to Netflix Official Website for the show.
‘She arrives in 1997 to protect a scientist named Malcolm Lee (Andre Holland) who is working to launch a new artificial intelligence system designed to compete with Skynet’s impending attack on humanity.’
“As Malcolm navigates the moral complexities of his creation, he is hunted by a relentless killer from the future, forever altering the destinies of his three children,” the synopsis concludes.
The anime series was created by Mattson Tomlin and earlier this year in May it opened to Entertainment Weekly on his vision for the show.
He explained: “We’re not going to pretend that the third movie wasn’t made. We’re not going to pretend that the sixth movie wasn’t made.”
‘Judgment Day comes early: Check out the NEW series on July 5 at Anime Expo and don’t miss the premiere of TERMINATOR ZERO on August 29, only on Netflix,’ the caption read.
Olyphant took on the role of Terminator alongside other stars such as Rosario Dawson, Andre Holland, Sonoya Mizuno and also Ann Dowd; Timothy Olyphant seen in 2023 in Santa Monica
The premise follows a soldier from 2022 who travels back in time to 1997 “to change the fate of humanity,” according to the official Netflix page for the show.
Tomlin also expressed that he made the decision to set the anime in Japan, but faced some obstacles.
He said: ‘I knew there weren’t really any guns in Japan, and I don’t think I really appreciated how real that was.’
One of the ways the problem was solved was by showing the Terminator with swords instead of arms, according to the outlet, and including sword fighting sequences.
“If I had to fight a Terminator and I had no weapons, what weapons could I invent?” Mattson wondered.
He also spoke about creating the series with original characters: “I think it’s time to delve into new characters and not burden myself with another John and Sarah Connor saga. That’s been attempted a couple of times.”
Linda Hamilton from the original Terminator film franchise played the role of Sarah Connor, while Edward Furlong portrayed John Connor.
“There are a lot of references to the other movies,” he continued. “Fans who really know the movies are going to do the Leo from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood meme…”
Tomlin appeared to be referencing the clip in the film where DiCaprio points to a TV screen.
He explained: “We’re not going to pretend that the third movie wasn’t made. We’re not going to pretend that the sixth movie wasn’t made”; Arnold Schwarzenegger seen in Terminator (1984)
He said: ‘I knew there were no guns in Japan and I don’t think I realised how real it was.’
“But it’s not going to be as direct as when John Connor comes in, because John Connor doesn’t come in.”
Mattson was heavily inspired by the first two Terminator films and tried to implement the horror aspects of James Cameron’s films.
‘There’s a completely valid version of the Terminator franchise where Terminator is synonymous with Jason (Voorhees) and Freddy (Krueger), where he’s this relentless serial killer.’
Tomlin continued: “There’s a little bit of Friday the 13th in here. There’s a little bit of Michael Myers (from Halloween) in here.”
The first Terminator film was released in theaters in 1984 and starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn, Edward Furlong and Earl Boen.
The film was a box office success upon its release and grossed around $78.3 million at the box office on a budget of $6.4 million.
The second installment of the film franchise was titled Terminator: Judgement Day and was released in 1991, also directed by James Cameron.
“There are a lot of references to the other movies,” he continued. “Fans who really know the movies are going to do the Leo from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood meme…”
The film was a box office success upon its release and grossed around $78.3 million at the box office on a $6.4 million budget; Terminator (1984) seen above
The budget was increased from $94 million to $102 million and it was another box office success after grossing a whopping $519 million, becoming the highest-grossing film of the year worldwide.
Four more films were added to the franchise, with other directors behind the camera.
The latest installment was Terminator: Dark Fate which was released in theaters in 2019 and was directed by Tim Miller.
Other television and web series based on the films have also been created in the past, as well as video games.