Arnold Schwarzenegger Confirmed for ‘Terminator 5′

Terminator 5 showed new signs of life last week, with reports emerging that a pair of screenwriters have been recruited by Oscar-nominated Zero Dark Thirtyproducer Megan Ellison. The Annapurna Pictures mogul is rapidly evolving into the next Harvey Weinstein, as the SR Underground Crew half-joked in the Last Standpodcast. Hence, it’s no surprise she’s managed to keep the sci-fi cash cow afloat (even without a director nor star formerly attached, that is).
However, the T-800 himself Arnold Schwarzenegger promises he’ll be appearing in the fifth Terminator installment, even amidst recent speculation about whether or not that remains the plan (not to mention, if that’s indeed a good idea).

Laeta Kalogridis (Shutter Island) and Patrick Lussier (My Bloody Valentine 3D) are currently putting together a Terminator 5 script for Ellison, nearly two years after the budding Hollywood power player purchased the Terminator franchise rights. Some of our readers have speculated that the plan is for T5 to return the series to its roots, by resurrecting the format of James Cameron’s original movie – which combines slasher tropes with sci-fi pop action – and moving away from the mythos building that culminated in Terminator Salvation (similar to how Riddick is taking the Vin Diesel franchise back to its Pitch Black origin, after Chronicles of Riddick). That would explain the hiring of a writing duo like Kalogridis and Lussier, who have complimentary backgrounds in the sci-fi and horror genre.

Schwarzenegger – attending a London junket for The Last Stand - confirmed that he’s set to appear in Terminator 5 (via Bleeding Cool). Obviously, the screen icon is no longer convincing as the ageless T-800; though, if the story introduces Arnold as, say, a crusty fighter in the war against Skynet – one who the machines view as a fitting model for their new line of robots – his presence might avoid becoming a burden (or feeling shoehorned in). Not to mention, it could allow overriding (or just ignoring) of events in Salvation, which is something Justin Lin hinted at doing back when he was directing.
Either way, T5 offers a chance to create a serious (and less satirical) backstory for the T-800′s human inspiration than this infamous cut scene from Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines:

All things considered, the easiest way to bring Arnold back into the mix (without introducing more narrative gaps) could be to just break from the continuity of bothRise of the Machines and Salvation and revisit the simplified format of the first and second installments. Making the actor human, this time around, would suffice on a practical level and as a meta-nod to his age (something The Last Stand manages to do quite well).
More on Terminator 5 as the story develops.