When G.I. Joe: Retaliation was released back in March, our own Sean O'Connell and Kristy Puchko were on such a Dwayne Johnson high that they imagined what other lagging series could use a boost from The Rock. After all, the actor has earned the nickname "Franchise Viagra" by rejuvenating not only G.I. Joe, but also the Fast & Furious movies (not to mention giving us a reason to care about Journey 2: The Mysterious Island). Sean and Kristy's first suggestion for the star? The Terminator films. And today there's a rumor going around that the wish may actually come true.
The Examiner has gotten word from a source close to the production that Annapurna Films - the company that owns the rights to the franchise - is now developing a script for Terminator 5 that has a role specifically for Johnson - namely the villain.
But the story doesn't stop there. While the site doesn't seem to have 100% confidence in their source, they do outline what could be a fascinating turn for the franchise. Rather than being set in the future like Terminator Salvation, the rumor says that the plot will actually be set back in the 1940s or 50s. While Arnold Schwarzenegger has confirmed that he will be back for the sequel (see what I did there?), the new report says that he actually won't be playing a robot. Instead, he will play a man whose ability to protect the Connor family during that time period inspired the design of the T-800 from James Cameron's 1984 sci-fi classic. Given this plot description, presumably Johnson would be playing the robot that is sent back in time to face off against Schwarzenegger's human character.
I have to admit, I'm actually really hoping that these rumors are true. Not only do I agree with Sean and Kristy that Johnson would be a welcomed addition to the Terminator franchise, the idea of placing the story in the past is amazing. After all, this is a time travel story. What's the point of having a time travel story if you're not going to take advantage of it? This storyline also does an elegant job of solving the Schwarzenegger age problem.
Outside of rumors, we really don't know much about what to expect from Terminator 5. It was recently reported that Paramount Pictures may be picking up the film for distribution, but at this time there is no director attached. Drive Angry and Shutter Island writers Patrick Lussier and Laeta Kalogridis were hired to write the script back in January. Production on the fourth sequel in the series is, according to Schwarzenegger, scheduled to start in January 2014, presumably for either a late 2014 release of some time in 2015.
Johnson, meanwhile, is spending his summer filming both Brett Ratner's Hercules and James Wan's Fast & Furious 7. With any luck he can make room in his busy schedule to sign on with Skynet.
