Skip to main content

Arnold gets the spotlight in a new, grim Terminator: Dark Fate poster

Terminator: Dark Fate - Official Trailer (2019) - Paramount Pictures

Just when you thought Judgment Day had been averted, a new poster for Terminator: Dark Fate arrives with a reminder that an apocalyptic future filled with human-hunting androids is still a very real possibility in the world of the classic sci-fi franchise.

Recommended Videos

Terminator franchise star Arnold Schwarzenegger debuted the poster on Twitter with the caption “Are you ready?” The image features his character, the classic T-800 android assassin that has appeared in every iteration of the franchise so far, front and center.

Are you ready? #TerminatorDarkFate pic.twitter.com/m7s7i2Vcrc

— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) September 10, 2019

The most recent trailer for Dark Fate (see above) was released just after midnight on August 30, and that date is significant: As the trailer points out, the original Judgment Day — when androids slaughter most of humanity in a worldwide machine revolt — was supposed to be August 29, 1997.

While humanity doesn’t appear to have avoided its gruesome fate, it might have found another potential savior.

Directed by Deadpool filmmaker Tim Miller, Terminator: Dark Fate brings back franchise creator James Cameron — who directed 1984’s The Terminator and 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day — as a producer on the project. He’s not the only person returning to the franchise, either. As seen in the trailer, actress Linda Hamilton reprises her role as Sarah Connor, returning to the series for the first time after starring in the first two acclaimed installments.

Hamilton is joined by Schwarzenegger, who first brought the deadly T-800 assassin to the screen in The Terminator and reprised the role — albeit on the side of the heroes — in Judgment Day. Unlike Hamilton, Schwarzenegger has appeared in nearly every chapter of the series in one form or another, either in a lead or supporting role, or simply in a cameo.

Along with all of the familiar faces both behind and in front of the camera, Dark Fate also stars Blade Runner 2049 actress Mackenzie Davis, who can be seen in the trailer as a mysterious, augmented hero who’s apparently capable of going toe-to-toe with the Terminator killing machines. Natalia Reyes (Birds of Passage) also co-stars in the film along with actor Gabriel Luna, who recently played Robbie Reyes, the chain-wielding, fire-headed vigilante known as Ghost Rider in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. television series.

Paramount Pictures delivered the much-anticipated first look at Terminator: Dark Fate with the film’s debut trailer, and although it was light on plot details, the preview offered up plenty of the visual-effects magic and explosive action that has become a staple of the Terminator franchise.

Terminator: Dark Fate - Official Teaser Trailer (2019) - Paramount Pictures

That trailer offered the first look at Gabriel Luna as the latest version of the Terminator assassin. His character is capable of morphing its exoskeleton to adapt to whatever the heroes throw (or shoot, drive, or drop) at it, and seemingly able to split off into a second killing machine when necessary.

Terminator: Dark Fate is reportedly a follow-up to Terminator 2, ignoring the three sequels that followed that film and establishing a new timeline — which is nothing new for a franchise that often plays fast and loose with its own continuity.

Terminator: Dark Fate is scheduled to hit U.S. theaters November 1.

Updated on September 10, 2019: Added a new poster for Terminator: Dark Fate.

Rick Marshall
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
3 great dramas on Amazon Prime Video you need to watch in November 2024
Robin Williams and Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting.

Never let it be said that Amazon Prime Video isn't stacked with great dramas. Amazon wasn't content to only have the great MGM film library at its disposal, as Prime Video regularly adds movies from other studios to bolster its lineup. While there are plenty of action flicks and comedies on the platform, Prime Video is also home to several world-class dramas that rank among the best in the genre.

This month's selections for the three dramas on Prime Video that you need to watch in November all have a shared theme of mentorship and emotionally cathartic experiences. That's why they're such fitting choices for the holidays, and suitable for viewers who want to see some heartwarming moments.

Read more
A legendary musician wrote a bonkers Gladiator II movie that was never made
A man walks in a field of wheat in Gladiator.

Russell Crowe in Gladiator DreamWorks

It took more than 20 years, but they finally got around to making a sequel to Gladiator, the rock-the-Colosseum phenomenon that conquered the box office and won the Best Picture Oscar at the start of this century. Ridley Scott’s belated return to an Ancient Rome of swords, sandals, and teeming CGI crowds finally arrives in American theaters this weekend, ready to satiate the bloodlust of a multiplex hoi polloi ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. Whether moviegoers will flock to Gladiator II as bountifully as they did to its beloved predecessor remains to be seen. Twenty-four years is a long time. And Paul Mescal, magnetic actor though he can be, is no Russell Crowe.

Read more
Glicked: Can Wicked and Gladiator II pull a Barbenheimer at the box office?
Two witches stares up on the left and a Roman solder stands on the right.

In 2023, Barbie and Oppenheimer combined forces to create the pop culture phenomenon known as "Barbenheimer." In 2024, Wicked and Gladiator II will try to emulate that success with "Glicked."

This weekend, Wicked and Gladiator II are squaring off at the box office in what should be one of the biggest weekends of the year for theaters. Both films started on the right track thanks to early previews and Thursday night screenings. Per Deadline, Wicked pulled in about $11 million on Thursday night alone, while Gladiator did about $6.5 million.

Read more