Terminator 5 is moving from the rumor bin to reality as Skydance Productions, Annapurna Pictures and Paramount Pictures have announced a June 26, 2015 release for the fifth film in the franchise described as the first film in a new “standalone trilogy” with Laeta Kalorgridis (Avatar, Shutter Island) and Patrick Lussier (Drive Angry) attached to write the screenplay.
Arnold Schwarzenegger will return in the title role, but in what capacity is still unclear.
Schwarzenegger confirmed his participation earlier this month saying, “I’m very happy that the studios want me to be in Terminator 5 and to star AS the Terminator, which we start shooting in January.”
There have been unsubstantiated rumors that say Dwayne Johnson will play a role in the film, which would revolve around Skynet sending a Terminator back to the 1950s to probably squash out the Connor family line before either Sarah or John even existed, but that’s about as far as the rumors have gone to this point.
Another wrinkle in all of this is rights to the Terminator franchise revert back into the hands of James Cameron in 2019.
Deadline report earlier this year on the issue writing:
Franchise creator James Cameron — who has stayed on the sidelines since directing the first two classic films — is the beneficiary of changes in copyright law. Basically North American rights to the franchise revert back to him in 2019. That is because the copyright reversion now takes place after 35 years, and The Terminator was made in 1984.
With the first in a planned trilogy due in 2015 will they try and push two more out before Cameron gets the rights back in 2019?
A director for the fifth film has not yet been named, though Fast & Furious 6 helmer justin Lin has been attached in the past.
