(Credits: Netflix)

Netflix has shared a six-minute-long sneak peek of the forthcoming anime series Terminator Zero, complete with every ounce of sophisticated brutality promised to fans by showrunner Mattson Tomlin.

Set in the same universe initially created by James Cameron and Gale Ann Hurd, Terminator Zero takes place in Japan in the 1990s. As Judgement Day approaches, Malcolm Lee realises he is being hunted by a robot assassin from the year 2022. However, a resistance soldier, Eiko, was also sent from the same year to protect him and his family and stop the artificial intelligence system’s launch.

In the new clip, we see Eiko being stalked by the Terminator, who is voiced by Timothy Olyphant. She cleverly evades his attacks and proves her strength even during one crucial moment when he uses her to attempt to climb up the rope she is dangling from. What’s clear here is that the Terminator also lacks sentience and feels no remorse or fear, making him a terrifying nemesis.

The six-minute video is also the first scene Tomlin wrote for Zero and the moment he realised his vision was shared with Production I.G. “They took what I wrote as a jumping-off point, and they just made it so much better,” he told Tudum. After writing the scene, he realised, “All I have to do is do my work, arm [the animators] as much as possible, and then just get the fuck out of their way.”

Initially, Tomlin also realised how neglecting to use dialogue could be the ideal scene-setting tool. “I realised the first minutes of the show have to declare what it is,” he explained. Adding: “The way to do that was to have a sequence that had no dialogue, that was really planting a flag in letting everybody know this is going to be violent, it’s going to be dark, it’s going to be action-driven, it’s going to be horrific, and it’s going to be arresting.”

The entire eight episodes take place during both 1997 and 2022, with the action of the chase taking up a significant portion of the story. However, Tomlin promises there will be more than “just survival,” saying the narrative will reveal the layers to Eiko’s intentions. “She’s planned this,” he explained. She knows she can’t kill the Terminator, so once she blows up the sky bridge, she puts distance between them by “dropping him 1,000 [feet] into this garbage pit below.”

He also revealed he almost approached the show like he was writing a James Bond movie, particularly with the initial cold open but also because he didn’t want to begin with “action for action’s sake.”

Netflix has been focusing on more dynamic and nuanced action lately, both in terms of live-action and animated content, including Cobra Kai, Vikings, and more. However, Terminator Zero is almost a guaranteed hit, as it taps into a beloved and enduring franchise with a massive fan base, promising a blend of intense action, complex characters, and a deep, dystopian storyline.

Terminator Zero begins streaming on Netflix on August 29th.