In a recent interview with Moviehole, Fast Five director Justin Lin sounded off on Terminator 5 and the possibility of bringing back the character of Sarah Connor. Since Sarah was killed off in Terminator 3, this might seem like a strange statement, but Lin mentions the time travel element as one of the tools for Sarah’s return.
Lin has been attached to direct the next sequel in the iconic Terminator franchise, which reportedly will have the Gubernator himself, Arnold Schwarzeneggar, returning as the unstoppable cyborg, aka The Terminator. This news alone has fans giddy, but now Lin drops some interesting tidbits about bringing back the kick-ass mom Sarah Connor (played originally by Linda Hamilton) even though she was killed off quite unceremoniously in Terminator 3.
And I think that you know if the right version, if you go back to the thematic drives of the first one especially, I think that’s a way to be able to re-engage with that franchise…I mean, Sarah Connor is such a big part of the franchise, you know. Yeah, I mean I’ve always been surprised how in part 3 she was just like…It was like one line and she was gone.
I think the great thing about this franchise is you have… You can actually have different canons because you have the element of time travel. So, there’s a way of kind of respecting all the works but also able to create a new time line.
Fans went wild with excitement when Schwarzeneggar’s likeness showed up during the last few minutes of Terminator Salvation, even though it was CG. Think how exciting it will be to bring back Sarah Connor as a full-blown character? To those who have concerns about Hamilton’s age now and a Sarah from the past being younger, I say what about Schwarzeneggar?! He’s supposed to be an un-aging cyborg model and he sure can’t pass for the same age as his cyborg character of yore. I might also add, if they can CG a complete Schwarzeneggar from head to toe, they should be able to take care of a few crow’s feet and frown lines.
Lin is a hot director right now. He’s currently working on Fast and the Furious 6, and even had to turn down the director’s chair for the sci-fi remake Highlander because he was too busy. Sounds like he’s willing to walk away from Terminator 5 as well if the script doesn’t come together like he wants. It’s good to be Lin right now, but after the popularity of his sleek action-packed sequel Fast Five, studios are clamoring to have him take their franchises in hand. I can only hope he can do to Terminator what he did to The Fast and the Furious, especially after the last two mediocre instalments.