"Andy Vajna and Mario Kassar's C2 Pictures, which produced Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, has pacted with Warner Bros. TV and writer Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds) for Fox's tentatively titled The Sarah Connor Chronicles. The Fox series will focus on robo-warrior Sarah Connor and her savior son John Connor."

More here

Zavier

This is awesome news.  I hope and pray that Schwarzenegger finds it within his heart to make plentiful cameos within this television series.

According the Variety, Fox Broadcasting has officially greenlight production on the "Terminator"-themed project. David Nutter, whose last 12 pilots have all been picked up to series, will serve as executive producer and is set to direct the pilot episode.

The new installment in the Terminator franchise revolves around Connor and her savior son, John Connor. The series will explore what happened to Sarah Connor after the end of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, when the character went on the run. Casting on the new series will begin immediately, with filming expected to commence early next year in New Mexico.

-Zavier

I wonder how lomg they could sustain that theme in a series.  Is every week going to be an episode of the Connors arguing about something, fighting a terminator, learning from what happened and admitting they were wrong in arguing?

Personally, I would rather this series start after T1 or T3 (preferably T3).


Phil

I could see this work. It's not an unlikely premise, in that they have a clear antagonist (Cyberdyne Systems) og there's obviously some crooked politician who doesn't want them to figure out the truth.

So it's basically a on-the-run set up much like The Net the series, First Wave and the likes. Let's only hope this one's better. Much.

I doubt we'll see any Terminators in it based on the current mythology (not that that will stop them from doing another paradox). The idea of going up against Cyberdyne as they work to recreate their technology and have her arrested or killed might work, especially if we get a clear cut antagonist, who would probably be either a Federal Agent of some sort or a bounty hunter in the employ of Cyberdyne (probably the latter).

James Cameron really should have filmed the ending he wrote for Judgment Day. Sarah Conner is an old lady, playing with her grandchildren and John Conner is aUnited States senator. This would have ended the franchise on a high note, while eliminating the possibility of unworthy sequels and half-baked television series.

Unless the writers play the time travel card (which would be lame) this series seems kind of pointless since we know what eventually happens to Sarah Conner (succumbs to leukemia). Would you want to watch a show if you knew exactly what happened in the last episode? The best way to approach a Terminator series would have the show take place during the war with the machines.

-Zavier

James Cameron did film the ending he wrote, but he just decided not to use it. It can be found on the Ultimate Edition of the Judgement Day DVD.

As for Rise of the Machines, yeah I was kinda disappointed. The action was good and all, but in the end it just fell flat. It was too much of the same. And the whole thing with Sarah Connor dying from cancer was just ridiculous. I mean, she fought through hell to survive the first two movies and then she dies of cancer. What a letdown.

They should stop. Now. James Cameron needs to buy back the rights to the Terminator franchise and put an end to it all before it is completely ruined. He can afford it, Titanic did make $600 000 000 in the U.S. alone so I think he can cover the costs. The Sarah Connor Chronicles is a terrible idea.


Cheers, Chism.

According to Variety Lena Headey has landed the leading role in the Fox pilot "The Sarah Connor Chronicles”.

"The project, continues the "Terminator" movie franchise storyline by focusing on Sarah and her 15-year-old son John, as they fight attackers from the future in present-day Los Angeles. -Variety"

-Zavier

Let's hope it goes no further than simply the Pilot. God knows how they're going to keep coming up with different villains for each episode, unless they do seasonal arcs with different villains like on Buffy or Angel. Even so, it's gonna get really old really quickly. There's only so much robo-killing an audience can take.

Plus I don't trust this Josh Friedman character. I don't think he's the right person to run a Terminator series.


Cheers, Chism.

First of all Thanks NiXoN for starting this topic!

It will be great S.C the series, but I also smell some danger, You know what happened to Cameron's own Dark Angle the series.

Quoted Text James Cameron did film the ending he wrote, but he just decided not to use it.

And actually directed T2: 3D the movie, the real continuing story from T2! Actually he did a 3rd part for the franchise.

I haven't gotten around to seeing that. I've seen the making-of doco on the T2 DVD, but nothing much else.

Quoted Text It will be great S.C the series, but I also smell some danger, You know what happened to Cameron's own Dark Angle the series.

At least James Cameron was involved with Dark Angel. He refused to do T3 and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't do a Terminator TV series, no matter how much money they threw at him. I would be a lot more enthusiastic about this series if Cameron were involved, I mean he's a complete genius and I cannot wait to see Avatar and Battle Angel.

I still maintain my negative stance on this project. I will be sure to catch the pilot, however, because there is a remote chance, no matter how small, that they may just get it right. But either way, the series is still going to end with Sarah Connor dying of cancer, because I don't think the filmmakers would screw with the continuity, no matter how lame it was. Unless of course the series is cancelled before they get that far. Who knows?


Cheers, Chism.

Why don't the producers of the Terminator franchise just get their fingers out and finally show us what we all want to see - the post-apocalyptic future that is illuded to in all three of the films! All we get is hint after hint, after hint, after hint, but we never really get to see anything!

Audiences are going to get tired of watching machines being sent back through time only to be thwarted at the last minute. It was brilliant in the first two Cameron films but that should have been it. Terminator 3 should have been set in the future and we all know it, so why won't they let us see it at least in the series?

And I heard before that Terminator 4 is still going to have time-travel elements in it! Come on and just give us what we want to see, and in return, we'll all give you our money! LOL!

Speak for yourself. I've always found the future stuff to be the last interesting. The stuff in the past is what twixes my nethers as far as the Terminator franchise is concerned.

Terminator 3 should have never existed. Terminator 4 should also not exist. And neither should The Sarah Connor Chronicles.


Peace out,

Pimp Daddy Chism.

I think it is the hints that keep this franchise alive, I'd prefer to see everything before the big finale, before the very last stand. I wasn't happy when I heard Cameron didn't want to do T3, and on his side he was right to steer clear. Jonathan Mostow really hurt the franchise with all the stupid gags in the script... The sunglasses scene/Elton John bit was a weak gimmick.

I would love to see how they tackle the Sarah Connor chronicles. However if it is simply one machine sent back time and time again through out the series well then it becomes a very dull show already.

The Show already started ... ?



Sarah Connor  will be played by Lena Headey and John Connor by Thomas Dekker.

Anyone gonna see the pilots??

Yeah I'll check out The Pilot when it premieres later in the year. I'm sort of interested to see how they've done it, but I'm not exactly looking forward to it. It might just be the disaster we all think it will be.


Cheers, Chismeister.

Interesting theory from IGN. Possible Spoliers ahead.

Quoted from Herc over at Ain’t it Cool IGN reasonably theorizes that Summer Glau, she of “Firefly” and “Serenity” fame, will play a terminator, if not the terminator, in Fox’s “The Sarah Connor Chronicles.” Glau’s role is apparently being kept a secret because the audience (and presumably the Connors) will not at first know she’s a killer robot from the future.

Check out the reasoning behind IGN’s theory here.

-Zavier  

Interesting theory. She certainly kicked ass in Firefly and Serenity. I think she would be a good addition to the cast.


Cheers, Chismeister.

Great it now turns intresting.. but i don't think they are using any terminators, may be in some of the dream sequence. I guess

New piece of villain news:

Quoted Text SCI FI Wire caught up with 300 star Lena Headey, who talked more about playing the title character in the upcoming Fox pilot, "The Sarah Connor Chronicles." Headey revealed that the show will begin with a confrontation between Headey's title character; her son, John Connor ("Heroes'" Thomas Dekker); and two new Terminators: a female model, played by "Serenity's" Summer Glau, and a male one, which she called Cromartie, played by Owain Yeoman. One is good and one is bad; she didn't say which is which. Glau's character is named Cameron, an apparent nod to "Terminator" franchise creator James Cameron.

Here is the link to the more of the interview:

http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0&id=40390


Cheers, Chismeister.

Footage has appeared on YouTube. Check it out, while its still up.

That actually looks really, really cool.

The CGI during that nuclear explosion looked incredible.

I'm actually excited about this series now.


Cheers, Chism.

Wow. I normally don't watch TV, but I'm definatly going to watch that!

Judging from the footage I can see they've definately altered the mythos of this franchise to suit a younger audience. John Connor now has a very pretty, very humanistic female Terminator his own age protecting him and doing everything for him? A girl who obeys his every command? A girl who kicks the hell out of people while she's naked? I'm sure a lot of young guys will be adding that fantasy to their hormone-induced adolescent antics list! I'm sure James Cameron will have a chuckle at this when it hits TV.

The whole thing looks like a teenage fan-flick to me. And to be honest, it just goes to show that there is only one Terminator - Arnold Schwarzenegger. That other guy just looks like a maniac who's escaped from a mental institute. Obviously, Schwarzenegger can't appear in a silly little TV series, but I'm talking about Terminator 4. Either they put Arnie in it in some capacity, no matter how small, or they don't have any T-800's in it at all. No one else can fill his big boots. I'm a little worried by the fact that the movie rights of this franchise have been sold to those other guys, God only knows what they're going to end up doing with the next film.

Anyway, the only good thing about the series, from what I saw, was the girl Terminator (not the acting, just her looks) and John Connor. I think they managed to find a nice cross between Eddie Furlong and Nick Stahl for the young John, and the new guy seems like he can handle the role. But otherwise, the footage didn't really do anything for me. I'm a die-hard Terminator 1 & 2 fan and they are extremely difficult to match. But with a teenage audience the series will probably do well, just look at Smallville.    

the series should be the John Connor Chronicles... starting from the beginning of the war... showing how he rose to being the great leader... and how they fought the war against the terminators...

that to me would be far more interesting.

Entertainment Weekly has revealed four new posters for The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

Click the poster to view the other three.

Want to see the last few drops of what FOX can squeeze out of James Cameron's genius a week early?

The Sarah Connor Chronicles will debut tonight via a streaming presentation at Yahoo Television.

Click here and look for Sarah Connor Sneak Peek on the sidebar.

Well, they fucked it up.

I don't know where to start. The fact that Lena Heady looks 30 and John Connor looks like he's graduating college. Maybe the excruciatingly bad intro, or the fact that it takes a Terminator 5 seconds to aim its gun at John Connor while he's lying on the ground in front of it while we see from roboto-vision that it's "acquiring target..."

There were brief moments og suspense and ingenuity but it was all ruined by the Smallville factor. By John's crying to mom "mommy please stop the terminator! I don't like when it tries to kill me! wah wah wah!"

Here's my prediction of the next few episodes:

John Connor starts at a new school. Sarah Connor tracks down some evil Skynet guy. And then the robots find john and Summer Glau comes and saves him.

Subplots of love will emerge between the terminator and John Connor. They will probably ruin it, but let's see.

And what's with Lena Heady's American accent in the opening voice-over? It comes and goes...