The first trailer for Netflix anime series ‘Terminator Zero’ has been released
To paraphrase one of its most famous quotes, the Terminator franchise is out there. It can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it will not stop, ever, until… one of the follow-ups doesn’t flop, probably.
Even though there hasn’t been a great Terminator movie since James Cameron’s Judgement Day released in 1991, the sci-fi saga still carries plenty of residual name value, so it’ll never be allowed to truly disappear no matter how many false starts it endures under however many guises.
Terminator Salvation was supposed to launch a brand new trilogy, but it was scrapped after one film when it underperformed. Terminator Genisys was supposed to launch a brand new trilogy and even staked a release date out for a sequel before it underperformed and was scrapped, while Terminator: Dark Fate was supposed to launch at least one follow-up if not several more before it too bombed spectacularly to render the IP obsolete on the big screen.
While bringing the brand back again might embody the well-known definition of insanity, there’s reason to be optimistic. For one thing, the only time the franchise appeared on TV before it gave the world the underrated Sarah Connor Chronicles, and by dipping its toes into anime-inspired waters, Netflix’s Terminator Zero already comes bearing a fresh coat of paint.
Hailing from The Batman co-writer, Mother/Android director, and Keanu Reeves’ BRZRKR comic book collaborator Mattson Tomlin, Year Zero stars Andre Holland as Malcolm Lee, a tech genius developing an AI system designed to compete with Skynet. As Judgement Day approaches on August 29th, 1997, he finds himself pursued by both a futuristic killing machine and a mysterious soldier.
Sonoya Mizuno voices time-travelling resistance fighter Eiko who makes it her mission to protect Lee and his children from the threat posed by the titular Terminator, voiced by the always reliable Timothy Olyphant. Netflix has been on a hot streak recently when it comes to original anime, so there’s reason to believe Zero won’t suffer the same fate as virtually every other piece of Terminator-related media over the last decade and a half.
The streaming service has been making a big push into animated content based on global properties – ranging from League of Legends spinoff Arcane to the upcoming Tomb Raider via its various Godzilla shows and Castelvania – the majority of which have been well-received by critics and subscribers alike.
Fans are about due some decent Terminator content, and befitting its origins, Zero will premiere August 29th on Judgement Day.