Christian Bale Compares Terminator 4 to Batman Begins; Helena Bonham Carter Joins Cast
Christian Bale took to the defensive, insisting that he accepted the role as John Connor in Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins because it reinvents the series.
“What I saw with Terminator was what I saw with Batman Begins,” Bale told at The Dark Knight junket.
But accepting another franchise role was not an easy decision in the least.
“That was actually something that I questioned greatly… ‘Do I want to do that again?’” Bale continued. “While Batman Begins was clearly an origin story and we were in many ways ignoring any of the other films that had come before it, this won’t be the case with Terminator, as we’re staying true to the mythology, certainly to one and two more than three, but it gave us the opportunity and the chance to reinvent and revitalize that. There is no point in making it otherwise. So that is my aim, and that is why I finally decided yes, I want to try this. Because that is the responsibility we have as filmmakers, and that is what I’m aiming to achieve.”
Meanwhile, the trades are reporting that Helena Bonham Carter is in talks to join the film in a “small but pivotal” role.
In the highly anticipated new installment of The Terminator film franchise, set in post-apocalyptic 2018, Christian Bale stars as John Connor, 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 the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind. The film also stars Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese, Bryce Dallas Howard as Kate Connor, Moon Bloodgood as Blair Williams, Common as Barnes, and Jadagrace as Star. Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins hits theaters on May 22nd 2009.
Premiere date for season two of The Sarah Connor Chronicles
We here at TV are sometimes privy to top secret industry information (information if revealed in public would result in our spontaneous beheading). Other times, we’re just given the press release.
That being said, the second season of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles will begin on Monday, September 8th at 8 p.m. I’ll wait while you run to the DVR to set the record time. Fox is also planning to run a season one marathon leading up to the premiere (the DVD is set for release on August 19th).
Returning actors include Lena Headey, Summer Glau, Thomas Dekker, Richard T. Jones and Brian Austin Green. New cast members include Shirley Manson, who plays a tech company CEO, and Leven Rambin as a possible love interest for John Connor.
Season one of the show had to be cut short due to the writer’s strike (and had a somewhat unsatisfying cliffhanger), but there were some real gems of episodes. I’m looking forward to season two.
Christian Bale to Play Robin Hood in Ridley Scott’s Nottingham?
UPDATE: According to sources, this rumor is totally bunk. Thanks for the new pollution, Daily Mail. Anyhow, who should play Robin Hood for Scott?
Bruce Wayne. John Connor. Bryan Adams’ muse? According to the Daily Mail, director Ridley Scott is seeking out Christian Bale for the role of Robin Hood in Nottingham, which is scheduled to begin filming this summer…
“Nothing is signed for Bale, but director Ridley Scott is exceedingly keen to cast him. Costume fittings begin next week, so he’ll be either in or out by then. Vanessa Redgrave and William Hurt are also in discussions about being in the film, which is called Nottingham.”
Bale would join a cast that also includes Scott-staple Russell Crowe (as the Sheriff of Nottingham) and the freshly signed Sienna Miller as Maid Marian. However, both of those actors have expressed moderate concern about a looming SAG strike putting the kibosh on the project. Unlike prior versions of the tale, Crowe’s sheriff will be the protagonist and Robin Hood will be a quiver-carrying bad guy (terrorist for the poors?). Bale and Crowe faced off in last year’s superb Western remake 3:10 to Yuma.
Earlier today we reported on the teaser for Terminator 4 with Bale starring as John Connor. He remains attached to the Pablo Escobar adaptation, Killing Pablo, though news on that film has been very quiet as of late. Scott will follow-up his 180-degree Robin Hood flick with a longtime dream project, Brave New World, based on Aldous Huxley’s 1932 sci-fi classic. He also has an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian on the burner. More on Nottingham/Bale as it develops…
Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins Teaser Trailer Description
Ladies and gentlemen, buckle yourselves in as we journey into a teaser trailer description. Just minutes ago, AICN confirmed a spy’s rundown of the Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins teaser that will be attached to The Dark Knight next month. Slashfilm is divided in our anticipation for this one, but I’ll admit that the primary focus on Christian Bale, his fittingly epic, doomsayer voice-over and the Terminator appearance sound quite agreeable, and more importantly, faithful to canon. Here’s the capper…
“We then get the big money shot of the trailer. Its Bale on a motorcycle with some girl on the back. They speed through a door of what looks like a warehouse toward us. As soon as they pass the screen, a huge terminator on wheels, a lot like the one they battle in the first one, smashes through the wall, chasing them. It looks awesome.”
According to the spy, Bale’s John Connor looks very similar in build and general appearance to his Bruce Wayne, possibly with noticeable battle scares and combat wear-and-tear. So, yeah, he looks like Christian Bale. The teaser reportedly has glimpses of several survivor camps, a war chest of firearms, quick shots of a helicopter, a “huge truck” and notably the foreboding Terminator theme is present throughout. Again, Connor’s voice-over sounds particularly spot-on: “I always knew it could happen…They told me I could stop it…That I could save us…I was wrong.”
Sure, it’s not much, but we’ve all seen enough blockbuster previews to develop a pseudo Spidey-sense. Hopefully it impresses on screen. If so, it will be a suitably dark and enticing primer for Nolan’s Batman sequel, the movie that looks to rule Summer ‘08, and a solid preamble for a risky new PG-13 Terminator trilogy from the director of Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.