Terminator Salvation to be first movie of a new trilogy

Christian Bale and Sam Worthington in Terminator Salvation
Christian Bale and Sam Worthington in Terminator Salvation
Halcyon chiefs Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek are developing a fifth Terminator installment, according to Variety. Terminator Salvation director McG, is working with the company on the future project.

The announcement was made at the Dubai International Film Festival, which began on December 11th and runs through this Thursday.

There apparently hasn’t been a decision on where to shoot the next Terminator film, although the Middle East was mentioned as a potential location.

When Halcyon acquired the rights to the franchise last year, they had already envisioned the re-booted series as a trilogy. Christian Bale, who’s playing human savior John Connor in Salvation, has signed on for all three films.

Terminator 5 is tentatively scheduled for a 2011 release.

Halcyon had originally planned to wait until the release of Terminator Salvation on May 22nd 2009, before deciding on whether to proceed with the next chapter, but the positive reaction to footage from the current movie has encouraged them to move forward ahead of schedule.

Terminator Salvation is set a post-apocalyptic 2018, and follows John Connor as the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators. But the future Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet’s operations, where they uncover a terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind.

Terminator Salvation also stars Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese, Bryce Dallas Howard as John’s wife Kate Connor, along with Moon Bloodgood, Common, Jadagrace, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Ironside, Jane Alexander, Chris Browning, Chris Ashworth and Roland Kickinger as the T-800, the skull-faced Terminator model made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger.