If you thought the summer of 2015 couldn’t get busy enough, it just did. Paramount Pictures, Skydance Productions and Annapurna Pictures confirmed on Thursday afternoon that the new Terminator film will hit theaters in June 2015.
Megan Ellison’s Annapurna, which own the rights to the James Cameron-created franchise, tweeted “June 26, 2015 TERMINATOR” and that’s it. Paramount did send out an official press release, which was posted on Deadline confirming the news.
The release also revealed that the new film will be part of a ‘stand-alone’ trilogy, which has sparked speculation on what Arnold Schwarzenegger’s role will actually be. He has insisted that he’s a part of it and that filming would start in January 2014. However, the release did not mention his name.
Progress on Terminator 5 didn’t get moving until writing team Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier were hired in January. Then, earlier this month, it was reported that Paramount was boarding as co-financiers and distributing it. The studio has a long relationship with Skydance, which is run by Ellison’s brother, David Ellison. Skydance and Paramount recently made Star Trek Into Darkness and World War Z together.
Ellison’s Annapurna has had the rights to Terminator since 2011, when she paid $20 million for the rights. She has until 2019 to make her trilogy before the rights go back to Cameron. Ellison has been known around Hollywood for funding prestige projects like Zero Dark Thirty and The Master, so her dedication to an action franchise is surprising.
The franchise started with Cameron’s acclaimed 1984 film and the blockbuster T2: Judgement Day in 1991. A third film was made in 2003 and another in 2009.
image: Amazon