Terminator: Genysis (2015): Stop Making Up Words

[nymusix]

http://www.avclub.com/article/are-you-sarah-connor-no-game-of-thrones-emilia-cla-106500

Interesting casting...  In case anyone is wondering, no they are not related. Thoughts?

[Ffiferoo]

I like Emilia Clarke, but she can get pretty shouty when she's being aggressive on Game of Thrones.  I don't know about her for a part like Sarah Connor.  The quality of the script will be big here, I think - if the writing is good, she could be good, but if she has the kind of material that they gave her in season two of GoT ("where are my dragons!?!?"), it might not go so well.

[Edna Crandall]

I'm really concerned. The first two Terminator movies are some of my all time favorite movies. I watch Terminator 2 multiple times a year. When I was a kid, we had T2 taped off pay per view on the same tape with Annie, and my siblings and I watched that tape pretty much every weekend. They were the first R rated movies I'd ever seen.
 
I held out on TSCC for a long time, because it seemed unnecessary, but ultimately I did like it quite a bit. Still have not seen T3, and Terminator Salvation was just blah. And articles keep calling this a reboot, but from what I've read about the plot, it's not really one. It sounds like it's just muddying up the timeline - maybe making an alternate reality? 
 
Emilia Clarke, I think is one of the weaker links in Game of Thrones. And Jason Clarke, I know it's a time travel movie, but why are they casting John Connor older than Sarah Connor? That's an odd one. 
 
I'm sure I'll see it, but I'm more worried than excited.

[David T. Cole]

Terminator as a franchise seems like it should be on TV. All the military, counter-intel and time travel stuff are the things that make season arcs sing.

Problem is there's only so many slots available for high budget TV that would do it justice. TSSC had a following and I'm not poo-pooing it but I don't think it captured enough of the Terminator universe faithful to make a go of it (obviously).

[Too Late Kev]

Filming has begun for Terminator Genesis.

 

There are about 4 stills available here. According to the captions, it seems we have John Connor (in the suit), Kyle Reese, Sarah Connor (both in scrubs, with guns), and the Terminator all in one scene, seemingly confirming that John or Sarah (or both) will be time-traveling.

 

This article contains a lot of rumors, some of which I hope aren't true, because it sounds kind of awful -- starting like the 1st movie, visiting some parts of the 2nd movie, the Terminator going back to Sarah's childhood to protect her...I'm putting the least amount of credence into this article.

 

This article contains a bit of information about Arnie's character, apparently from the man himself, including that there "will actually be two T-800 robots, a younger one controlled by Skynet, and an older one which will be reprogrammed to help in the fight against Skynet." Looking at imdb, an Aaron V. Williamson is listed as "T-800," so hopefully that's what is meant there, not that Arnie is playing younger and older.

 

imdb lists various actors. Some don't have roles next to them, but some characters mentioned are: Miles Dyson, Danny Dyson, Kyle's Mom, and Young Kyle Reese. There's also a Commander Pike Sumner, which caught my eye because there was a Sumner in T:TSCC. According to Terminator Wiki, there was also a Sumner in the original script of The Terminator, a soldier who came through with Kyle but didn't make it.

 

Also according to Terminator Wiki, J.K. Simmons was "in talks for a role as  a weary and alcoholic detective who has followed a bizarre case involving Sarah Connor and robots for more than three decades." J.K. Simmons is listed in imdb as part of the cast of T:G, with no name or details for his role.

Edited July 29, 2014 by Too Late Kev

[Danny Franks]

I want to be excited for this, because I really like Emilia Clarke. And I'd love to be able to watch her and actually want her character to be on screen. So far, the movie seems to have some pretty decent components, with Alan Taylor directing and Jason Clarke and possibly JK Simmons involved. Also Matt Smith, to bring in the Dr. Who nuts. But the guy playing Kyle Reese sucks pretty bad, from what I've seen. I wonder if he'll be Sam Worthington levels of bad.

 

But isn't it time that Arnie was just put out to pasture? I have no desire to see his wrinkly face (and wrinkly whatever else, going off the history of these movies) playing a T-800 again. I'd much rather see a female terminator by the name of Cameron Phillips, but that will sadly never come to pass.

[Rick Kitchen]

Jai Courtney, who plays Kyle Reese, was Bruce Willis's son in the latest Die Hard movie, which I thought was pretty horrible.  But he had a small role in Tom Cruise's Jack Reacher movie, and I thought he was chilling in his villain role.

[xaxat]

But isn't it time that Arnie was just put out to pasture? I have no desire to see his wrinkly face (and wrinkly whatever else, going off the history of these movies) playing a T-800 again. I'd much rather see a female terminator by the name of Cameron Phillips, but that will sadly never come to pass.

 

ITA. I think it was a mistake to bring back Arnold. I don't see what he brings to the movie. Is he still big overseas?

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I want to be excited for this, because I really like Emilia Clarke. And I'd love to be able to watch her and actually want her character to be on screen.

A friend of mine has expressed his concern over Clarke being cast as Sarah, saying that she seems severely miscast and somehow "too pretty" I think she'll do a good job,though,  if only because Daenrys seemed soft to me at first, and then she turned out to be pretty kick-ass IMO. I mean, okay, she's not Linda Hamilton, but I'm not so much of a purist that I can't enjoy Clarke in the role if she acquits herself admirably.

[ribboninthesky1]

I know little about Emilia Clarke, since I don't watch Game of Thrones.  But in the pics I've seen online, she looks like a teenager.  I realize Linda Hamilton was young when she starred in the first Terminator, and this may be matter of being older now...but I don't remember thinking Linda Hamilton looked like a teenager when I watched the film. 

 

Beyond Arnold, I'm also unclear on what additional story there is to tell with this franchise.       

[Danny Franks]

I'm curious as to how being "too pretty" could be a mark against Emilia Clarke. Her looks shouldn't really matter too much, because Sarah Connor's physical appearance never mattered too much in the original movies (except for her being ridiculously buff in the sequel). I recall Linda Hamilton's version as being very much a young, naive, somewhat hapless woman who really needed all the help Kyle Reese could offer just to stay alive.

 

Emilia Clarke is 27, which is actually within a year or so of Linda Hamilton's age when she played Sarah Connor for the first time. I think it's a decent fit, and as Cobalt Stargazer points out, we know she can play both vulnerable and tough. Like I've said, I like her a lot as an actress, even if I cannot abide Daenerys Targaryen.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

@Danny Franks, the friend I was talking about said that Clarke hardly seems like the type who would get stood up for a date, which is what led to Original Recipe!Sarah being in the bar where the Terminator tries to kill her for the first time, leading to Reese saving her. It seems (IMO) simultaneously like a slam against Clarke and and a slam against Hamilton, and that's a different peeve for a different time as I was ridiculously infatuated with Linda for both the first and the second movies. Hell, she was only thirty five when T2 was released.

Edited August 1, 2014 by Cobalt Stargazer

[Danny Franks]

@Danny Franks, the friend I was talking about said that Clarke hardly seems like the type who would get stood up for a date, which is what led to Original Recipe!Sarah being in the bar where the Terminator tries to kill her for the first time, leading to Reese saving her. It seems (IMO) simultaneously like a slam against Clarke and and a slam against Hamilton, and that's a different peeve for a different time as I was ridiculously infatuated with Linda for both the first and the second movies. Hell, she was only thirty five when T2 was released.

 

Well, it's certainly true that no man in his right mind would stand Emilia Clarke up. But I think it would be easy enough for them to not have that be the reason she runs into the T-800. But now I look back, Linda Hamilton was a very attractive woman in the first movie, even under that feathery 80s hair. Plus, Hollywood license says that if a girl puts on a pair of glasses and ties her hair up, she's a nerd so....

 

I wonder if Emilia Clarke hit up Lena Headey for any advice on the role. I thought Headey made a great Sarah Connor, personally.

[BetterButter]

Terminator Genisys

[Rick Kitchen]

What a stupid spelling in the title.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Genisys? Really? Stop making up words, Hollywood.

[Athena]

Cripes. Does this mean I have to change the topic title to that? Ok, I'll do it tomorrow so we can have "Genesis" for one more night.

[xaxat]

I read speculation somewhere (io9?) that Genisys might be the name of a company somehow involved in the plot. Which would make sense seeing how Silicon Valley loves to make up words. However, if Genisys is a replacement for Cyberdyne, I'd have a real problem with that.

 

Athena, can you do a strike through and leave the original?

[Athena]

Athena, can you do a strike through and leave the original?

 

No, you can't do that in titles, but if you guys can decide on a snarky title, I can amend it with that. It may make the whole title easier to look at.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

No, you can't do that in titles, but if you guys can decide on a snarky title, I can amend it with that. It may make the whole title easier to look at.

You should really use Stop Making Up Words. :-)

[Too Late Kev]

If it were April, I'd say, "Ha ha. That's not even a good April Fool's Joke." If they wanted "sys" in there to get a techie systems (or tech company) kind of feeling, couldn't they at least have gone with "Genesys"? Maybe they thought then that people would pronounce it like "Gene Sis." Still, "Terminator Genisys" is an awful name; what were they thinking?

[thuganomics85]

EW's got the the first look of the new film, plus shots of their two covers (one, with Emilia Clarke and Jai Courtney, the other with Jason Clarke and Matt Smith.)  There are some spoilers in the article, so approach with caution.

 

I'm trying to keep an open my mind, but I'm already shaking my head at 

the "twist" that this Sarah's mom was killed when she was nine, and she is going to be raised by Schwarzengger's Terminator.

 Also, while I try to separate actors from their past work, I can't help but to giggle at Matt Smith's picture.  I keep wondering why The Doctor has abandoned his bow-tie and jacket, for military garb.  Probably doesn't help that even Smith looks confused in that picture. 

Edited October 29, 2014 by thuganomics85

[Trini]

I was so hoping this would be actual reboot -- unconnected to the previous continuity. Ahhnold did NOT need to be in this.

 

[Does the title of this thread need to change?]

[Athena]

[Does the title of this thread need to change?]

 

If you want it to, I can change it and add any suggested snarky title. I'm easy going and I don't like the new title either so you guys decide. 

[methodwriter85]

   I think the novelization of Terminator said that Sarah was supposed to be 19, which fits with Sarah being in college.

 

   I'm disappointed but not surprised though that they're aiming for a PG-13. Eh. We'll always have the original one for the real violence.

Edited October 30, 2014 by methodwriter85

[xaxat]

I was so hoping this would be actual reboot -- unconnected to the previous continuity. Ahhnold did NOT need to be in this.

 

As soon as I heard he was going to be in this I got worried. Any movie he is in has to be about him. 

 

I wonder how they are going to explain an, admittedly well preserved, almost seventy year old looking Terminator. Lots of CGI I guess.

[ribboninthesky1]

Isn't that what they did in the last one? Though I suppose that was a cameo, not an actual part.

[Danny Franks]

EW's got the the first look of the new film, plus shots of their two covers (one, with Emilia Clarke and Jai Courtney, the other with Jason Clarke and Matt Smith.)  There are some spoilers in the article, so approach with caution.

 

I'm trying to keep an open my mind, but I'm already shaking my head at 

the "twist" that this Sarah's mom was killed when she was nine, and she is going to be raised by Schwarzengger's Terminator.

 Also, while I try to separate actors from their past work, I can't help but to giggle at Matt Smith's picture.  I keep wondering why The Doctor has abandoned his bow-tie and jacket, for military garb.  Probably doesn't help that even Smith looks confused in that picture. 

 

That spoilered bit is a joke, right? They wouldn't come up with an idea that terrible, and actually make it into a movie, would they? Oh, poor Emilia Clarke, having this as her first big movie role.

 

If it has to happen, I honestly hope

the movie harks back to Arnold's foray into comedies, and we see him as an exasperated dad to a rebellious punk kid, and making dead pan 'puns' about how his CPU wasn't built for the job.

[Kromm]

What a stupid thing for them to do to Sarah Connor. This just sounds awful.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

If you want it to, I can change it and add any suggested snarky title. I'm easy going and I don't like the new title either so you guys decide. 

 

Athena, I suggested upthread that you should add 'Stop Making Up Words' because of the ridiculous spelling in the title.

 

Also, that spoiler is completely asinine.

[benteen]

I've said this before but I think they waited too long to do a sequel to Terminator 2 from back in the day.  If they had done a sequel 3-4 years after T2 I think that would have been huge.  But they waited  12 years.  By that time, Arnold was old, Cameron had moved on, and Hamilton wasn't coming back.  Most importantly, the audience had moved on.

 

I just don't think they can put that genie back in the bottle and make Terminator popular again.  The fact that they are doing another PG-13 version of an R-rated 80s/90s series doesn't inspire confidence either.  It's too bad because I like Emile Clarke and Matt Smith too.

 

About the spoilers

It sounds like they're making this new movie Sarah like her brat son in The Sarah Connor Chronicles and that's REALLY not the way to go. I really don't want to see her spending two hours fighting her destiny. It sounds like they are going straight to Sarah being a badass while skipping everything that made her human in the first place.

Edited October 31, 2014 by benteen

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I've said this before but I think they waited too long to do a sequel to Terminator 2 from back in the day.  If they had done a sequel 3-4 years after T2 I think that would have been huge.  But they waited  12 years.  By that time, Arnold was old, Cameron had moved on, and Hamilton wasn't coming back.  Most importantly, the audience had moved on.

 

To be fair, the first movie came out in 1984, and the second in 1991. While that's obviously not as much of a time span, seven years is a lot of time between movies for a franchise. There were also seven years between Alien and Aliens. With that said, times have changed, as have the tastes of the viewing public. And the spoilers don't look particularly promising.

I liked TSCC, but I don't necessarily want to see a big screen version of it.

[benteen]

 

To be fair, the first movie came out in 1984, and the second in 1991. While that's obviously not as much of a time span, seven years is a lot of time between movies for a franchise. There were also seven years between Alien and Aliens. With that said, times have changed, as have the tastes of the viewing public. And the spoilers don't look particularly promising.

I liked TSCC, but I don't necessarily want to see a big screen version of it.

 

That's true but I think they still waited too long for a third movie and that by 2003 people had lost interest in the Terminator.  Not to mention by that time the movie was competing with other series and blockbusters.

 

Agreed about what you wrote in the spoiler section.

[methodwriter85]

They've tried two more movies and a t.v. series, and that all met with a big wall of "meh", so yeah...I'm not sure they can make this work for a new generation. Especially if they can't even let Arnold ride into the sunset and find someone else that can do it. Which is possible, because the T2 robot was fantastic, and they could do it again if they weren't going to try so hard to relate to nostalgia.

 

I think that the problem is that Terminator tapped into the fear of technology and robots and computers that think for themselves, as well as the threat of global nuclear war. People, especially young adults and teenagers who have never known anything but a digital world without a Cold War, just aren't going to relate.

[ketchuplover]

I hope someone puts on 2 million sun block

[Kel Varnsen]

I think that the problem is that Terminator tapped into the fear of technology and robots and computers that think for themselves, as well as the threat of global nuclear war. People, especially young adults and teenagers who have never known anything but a digital world without a Cold War, just aren't going to relate.

Not only that but with how computers work today, how the hell do you stop skynet without knocking society back to at best what we had in Victorian times? Because back in 1984 having a skynet on one big computer that you could shut down made sense. Now skynet can be on every computer in the world that is connected to the internet or any other device. How the hell do you stop that.

 

Plus reading the EW article last night there is one thing that concerns me.

It talks about how the Sarah Connor stuff will take place in the 1980's. But the John Connor Future war stuff is going to take place in the late 2020's. So are we going to have a John Connor who is pushing 50?

Edited November 13, 2014 by Kel Varnsen

[blixie]

Jason Clarke is portraying John Connor in Genysis, he is 45, so...yeah.

[Kel Varnsen]

Jason Clarke is portraying John Connor in Genysis, he is 45, so...yeah.

Interesting, If you assume that John Connor in Terminator Salvation was the same age as Christian Bale (around 35) then this John Connor is 10 years older. I wonder if they will mess with the date of Judgement Day again or if this will be John Connor who has been fighting skynet for 20+ years.

[benteen]

Not only that but with how computers work today, how the hell do you stop skynet without knocking society back to at best what we had in Victorian times? Because back in 1984 having a skynet on one big computer that you could shut down made sense. Now skynet can be on every computer in the world that is connected to the internet or any other device. How the hell do you stop that.

 

Plus reading the EW article last night there is one thing that concerns me.

It talks about how the Sarah Connor stuff will take place in the 1980's. But the John Connor Future war stuff is going to take place in the late 2020's. So are we going to have a John Connor who is pushing 50?

 

Excellent point.  This is something I've wondered.  You could blow up Skynet in 1991 but you cannot kill an idea or stop progress.

[Enero]

I saw a trailer for this over the weekend and was not impressed. I knew that replacing Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor had to happen because she's aged out of the role. Nevertheless it was going to be hard shoes to fill, but wow. I didn't think the producers would be this far off the mark. Casting a doe eyed Emilie Clarke as Sarah Connor was not working for me. Perhaps it's too early to judge and I've seen too little to give even a preliminary opinion. Maybe the movie will turn out awesome but from the little I saw it looked like a complete mess.

[magdalene]

I think I'll skip this one. I liked the first Terminator movie - this is hard to fathom now but that movie was so fresh and cutting edge at the time. And I did enjoy the TV series TSCC which was cancelled far too soon. 

[thuganomics85]

I just saw a recent TV spot, where the majority of it features  a big scene between Sarah/Emilia Clarke, and some kind of detective played by J.K. Simmons.  I wasn't even aware he was in this.  I wouldn't be surprised if his character ends up not being in this much, but they are now totally trying to ride his Whiplash success.  Win an Oscar, and you're suddenly all over the trailers!

 

What is weird though is I still barely see any of Matt Smith's character.  Plenty of Arnold, Emilia, Jason Clarke, and Jai Courtney.  I would have thought being The Doctor would have had some benefits towards promotion.

[Samsnee]

I was on the fence. With the latest twist In the trailer, I'm definitely not seeing this.

[Joe]

Yeah. Unless I hear it's actually really good, I'm giving it a miss. I'm not one for so bad it's good kind of thing.

[methodwriter85]

They've tried like two times to reboot this franchise and failed- even Christian Bale couldn't save it. I really just don't think the audience is there anymore.

[Joe]

If they made a good movie, people would watch it. The question is, what makes a good movie. There are many answers to that question, and also many wrong answers. This looks to be one of those wrong answers.

[Danny Franks]

If they made a good movie, people would watch it. The question is, what makes a good movie. There are many answers to that question, and also many wrong answers. This looks to be one of those wrong answers.

They made a really good TV show, and not enough people watched it to keep it on the air. The last movie was utter garbage, and I can't see this one being much better, because it seems to demonstrate a fixation on just trying to put new, weird twists on what has already happened, instead of actually exploring new ground with the franchise.

 

I like Emilia Clarke, but I feel sorry for her that this movie is probably going to flop.

[methodwriter85]

Yeah, I'm thinking Emilia Clarke is going to have better luck with Me Before You.

[greenbean]

It's not that she's too pretty, she's too fresh faced imo.

 

Has Linda Hamilton ever been invited back to this franchise? For me, she was always the lead. It's odd how she's been sidelined, it's not like she's busy. It seems that Hollywood thinks it's all about Arnie and the Terminators, but Terminator should have been like Sigourney leading the Aliens movies. This was Linda's franchise. Yes the second instalment moved towards John, but still she held it all together. Since she was discarded by leukemia, and there have been constant attempts to have John as the lead, the franchise has faltered. I think many people loved the mother/son dynamic, and Sarah's arch where she evolved into the action hero lead.

 

I never watched the tv show, but I've read that it's quite good in these areas.

 

I still hope we'll get a Linda instalment. Something set in the future, she's been living off grid. And I don't care if Edward Furlong is a bloated junkie. Work that into the script. He's still a better actor than all the pretty faces they've cast since.

[Athena]

Has Linda Hamilton ever been invited back to this franchise? For me, she was always the lead. It's odd how she's been sidelined, it's not like she's busy.

 

Le Blog did a What ever happened to Linda Hamilton article. The TL;DR is that immediately after T2, she married James Cameron and started a family with him. They had a rocky relationship and marriage for the rest of the 90s. Then she got $50 million from the divorce settlement so she never had to work just for money again. She probably made the decision to focus on her new family and it's quite easy to fall out of the lime light in Hollywood and it's not like she ever needed the money either.