The state of Terminator franchise’s film side remains uncertain following the underperformance of 2019’s Terminator: Dark Fate, with the last major update on that front coming in December 2022 when James Cameron expressed interest in pressing the reboot button again. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t any new Terminator content coming up, as those of you with a Netflix subscription will soon be able to see how this sci-fi property does in the anime realm. One of the key things we know about Terminator Zero is that Timothy Olyphant will voice the title robotic antagonist, and now the official announcement of a key Star Wars actor and more joining him in the cast has me even more psyched for this project.
Who’s Been Added To The Terminator Zero Cast
Netflix has revealed that Rosario Dawson, André Holland, Sonoya Mizuno and Ann Dowd will also be heard during Terminator Zero, which is set in 1997, the same year that Skynet became self-aware and began its war against humanity. Here’s the breakdown of who they’re playing and how these characters fit into the narrative that will be viewable on one of the best streaming services:
Rosario Dawson as Kokoro - “An advanced AI and Japan's answer to Skynet, if brought online, Kokoro will be endowed with the same power as Skynet. Kokoro must calculate for itself: is humanity the plague Skynet believes? Or are human beings worth saving?”
André Holland as Malcolm Lee - “A genius computer programmer and father of three, Malcolm Lee is haunted by prophetic nightmares of an apocalyptic future. He's spent the last decade creating a secret artificial intelligence that he believes will be humanity's last hope.”
Sonoya Mizuno as Eiko - “Coming from a post-Judgement Day 2022, Eiko is a resistance fighter sent back in time to stop Malcolm from launching Kokoro.”
Ann Dowd as The Prophet - “In the future, the Prophet is the philosophical guide for the human resistance, a light shepherding survivors in the darkness of the unknown future ahead.”
These days, Dawson is best known for playing the live-action Ahsoka Tano in the Star Wars franchise, first guest starring in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, then leading the Ahsoka series, which is returning for Season 2. Holland’s major credits include Moonlight and The Knick, Mizuno can currently be seen playing Mysaria in House of the Dragon, and Dowd’s filmography includes Philadelphia, Hereditary, The Leftovers and The Handmaid’s Tale.
Why Terminator Zero Sounds Appealing
While the Terminator franchise has endured for 40 years now, and both The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day rank as some of the best sci-fi movies, there’s no question that it’s been traveling along a bumpy road for a while. Along with Terminator: Dark Fate failing to impress at the box office, both 2009’s Terminator Salvation and 2015’s Terminator Genesis struggled critically and commercially. Terminator is in dire need of a refresh, and I’m hoping that Zero accomplishes this objective.
For one thing, it’s nice to be moving away from the Connors, who were also the focus of the short-lived TV series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. We now have a brand-new cast of characters who are dealing with their own troubles in 1997 Japan as Skynet is beginning to wreak havoc. That said, there are obviously parallels between Terminator Zero and the original Terminator saga beyond Kokoro being Skynet’s Japanese counterpart, including Malcolm Lee and Eiko respectively filling similar role as Miles Dyson and Kyle Reese, and The Prophet sounding somewhat like the adult John Connor, although perhaps less militaristic.
With Rosario Dawson’s Kokoro specifically though, what intrigues me about the 1997 version of the AI it how it’s torn between wiping out humanity like Skynet is doing, or allowing our kind to live on. Now in the future that Eiko comes from, it seems as though Kokoro went with the former option, but perhaps the events of Terminator Zero will lead to the AI making a different decision. Finally, I’m eager to see how the Terminator-style action sequences end up looking through an anime lens.
Created and executive produced by Mattson Tomlin, Terminator Zero premieres Thursday, August 29 on the 2024 TV schedule. While we count down the two months to go until its arrival, see what best shows on Netflix are worth pouring your time into right now.
