It looks like the long-in-development Terminator reboot is finally moving forwards in earnest, with casting soon set to begin in the coming weeks. Arnold Schwarzenegger may have been attached for a good couple of years now, and whilst he’s the only one on board so far, that’s not going to last long.
THR reports that director Alan Taylor will begin testing for the part of Sarah Connor this week, and he’s got his eye on Brie Larson (Short Term 12), Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones), and Margot Robbie (About Time) for the role of the young Sarah Connor, originally played by Linda Hamilton all those years ago.
Schwarzenegger will of course be reprising his role as a Terminator robot in what is set to be a time-spanning story that will see him tasked with protecting Sarah Connor as she grows up.
Garrett Hedlund is reportedly on the short list for the part of the young Kyle Reese, but word has it that testing for Kyle’s role will begin at a later date.
Kyle Reese is of course goes on to father John Connor, and word has it that Taylor’s wish list is topped by Tom Hardy for the role of John, though a meeting with Hardy hasn’t even taken place yet, so there’s a big question mark over that for the time being. But a father-son duo of Garrett Hedlund and Tom Hardy would definitely be interesting to see, if things continue in that vein in the weeks and months to come.
Having made a name for himself helming episodes of Game of Thrones, Mad Men, The Sopranos, and much more on the small screen, Taylor of course made his feature directorial debut with Thor: The Dark World this year, which opened to huge numbers at the North American box office over the weekend.
Interestingly, in our interview with the director whilst doing press for the Thor sequel, Taylor implied that his involvement with the Terminator franchise was just a rumour, but the aforementioned report would certainly suggest otherwise.
Either way, Annapurna Pictures, Skydance Productions, and Paramount are aiming for a Summer 2015 release for the Terminator reboot, marking the fifth instalment in the franchise, which is expected to start a new trilogy of films in the coming years. Needless to say, this could well be a game-changing move for whoever lands the leading roles alongside Arnie, and it should be very interesting to see what happens after testing begins this week.
