While many of us are still grumbling over Paramount's Terminator reboot, casting for the project is firing up with two of Hollywood's most buzzed about ingénues facing off. Deadline reports Emilia Clarke and Brie Larson are at the top of director Alan Taylor's short list of actresses for the role Sarah Connor. Both have reportedly auditioned before the pic's producers. But Linda Hamilton's combat boots will be pretty hard to fill, even for two such talented starlets.
Clarke was first mentioned in connection with the project in early November. But back then, she was reportedly contending with The Wolf of Wall Street's Margot Robbie for the role. While Robbie may still be in the running, she's not mentioned in the Deadline piece, but Clarke is said to have the edge over Larson. Frankly, between the two Clarke seems the more obvious choice.
On the wildly popular fantasy drama Game of Thrones the petite English actress has proved a powerful force playing Daenerys Stormborn Targaryen, also known as the Mother of Dragons. Fans of the show have seen Clarke mold the character from a timid teen girl to a fearless leader of armies and legendary beasts. From there, the leap to playing the mother of mankind's salvation isn't terrible far. Plus, she has a clear advantage in her past collaborations with Taylor, who has helmed six episodes of Game of Thrones to date.
While Clarke is definitely a great contender, I'm kind of rooting for Larson. The American ingénue has been forging an incredible reputation in film, deftly flying from one fantastically different film to the next. She mastered the cold-shouldered bitch in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, cracked us up in 21 Jump Street, broke our hearts in Rampart and most recently rocked us to our cores in Short Term 12. If there's any justice in this world you'll be hearing a lot more about Brie this award season, as that last little indie is something so poignant and vulnerable it is destined to launch her to highly coveted roles. What remains to be seen is if Terminator is one of them.
Reports suggest that this reboot is aiming for at least one sequel, which likely means the Connor deal demands a two-picture commitment. If Clarke is looking to break out into film and Larson is looking to score a franchise or fuck you money, this could be a killer opportunity. Then of course there's the chance to step into one of the most badass broads in cinema history. Plus, it seems Connor is a major role in this first film as casting of Kyle Reese and John Connor are said to be dependent on who plays Sarah. For better or worse, Arnold Schwarzenegger will be back as The Terminator.
