According to The Hollywood Reporter, Anton Yelchin is in negotiations to star as Kyle Reese in Terminator 4: Who Knows What It Will Be Called?.
The young actor will be seen next as Chekov in J.J Abrams Star Trek reboot/remake.
Paul Haggis (of Crash and Casino Royale fame) is also in negotiations to rewrite the script by David Campbell Wilson, John Brancato and Michael Ferris.
I’ll just let that news sink in for a moment.
Is it good news or bad news? To use a phrase that I say all too often: “It’s a bit of both”.
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Let us begin with the bad news: Anton Yelchin as a teenage Kyle Reese.
I just don’t see it.
To me, Michael Biehn is Kyle Reese - just like Arnold Schwarzenegger is the T-800. Reese is one of Biehn’s signature roles, like Hicks in Aliens - he is that character and I can’t see anyone else taking over the role. It’s just casting to get the kids to go to see the movie. The “if you cast a teen, then teens will come” sort of motto (and if that’s who they’re targeting, that’s a bad sign as well).
Not only that, but the producers of Terminator 4 seem to be “stealing” actors from upcoming science fiction films so that they can bolster the fan base. This was seen previously with the casting of Sam Worthington, who is also starring in Terminator creator James Cameron’s forthcoming Avatar.
The good news is Haggis. He was able to reboot James Bond and get quite a bit of critical acclaim for doing so (and bring in big box office to boot), so he might just be the man to help give the Terminator franchise some new respectability; something that is lacking because of the way the franchise’s producers are milking the brand name.
That said, I think that his greatest achievement was the television series Due South over ten years ago. No, I’m not kidding when I say that - go out and buy a series box set of the Canadian cop show!
However, I digress.
The trade paper also gives some “new” plot details:
“Reese, one of the children who survived a machine-driven nuclear holocaust, befriends Marcus (Sam Worthington), an early edition of the Terminator cyborg played in previous films by Arnold Schwarzenegger.”
This “new” plot point was first mooted by yours truly way back in January. Not to blow my own trumpet. Well, maybe a little bit.
It was also just the other day that I said that Christian Bale was was hoping on a new draft of the script, and we all know that Haggis works fast: He pumped out his Quantum of Solace rewrite in a matter of weeks. Expect him to do the same here, so that they can get that May start date.
Am I just showing my age here and my inability to embrace change, or is all this starting to seem like bad news? Please, make me feel better!
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
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7 Comments
Niall, why are you using his grade school picture?
What happened to child labor laws?
This guy can kick Schwarzenegger’s ass!
Niall
I don’t know, Niall. I think it’s great that Haggis is re-writing the script! It means, to me, that we’re going to get one helluva story! There is NO way that they could cast Biehn in the role of Kyle Reese again. The dude’s in his 50’s (and quite honestly hasn’t been in anything watchable since “The Rock.”) If the script calls for a younger Kyle Reese, you can’t just put Biehn in a pair of baggy pants and a backwards hat and call him young!! I don’t know too much about Yelchin, so I am going to reserve judgement on him for now.
Whacha talking about Andy. Micheal Biehn was just in Planet Terror.
Anywho….
Niall this news about Haggis is welcome. Does anyone realise that the other 2 writers ar the same lads from T3?
I’m not liking the casting however. Bale is great but I don’t like him as Connor. He would be great if they would make this the last film in the series witch I really think they should but this is the first of a planned trilogy. This means that were possibly going to get 3 films that all contain the post-nuked future war.
Now…
I’m the biggest fan of Terminator on this site and I don’t want to see life in the rubble (a boy and his terminator) a resistance trilogy.
Yelchin as Reese dosnt look anything like him.
T4 should focus on the mankinds last huge battle with Skynet. Taking it down, sending the players back in time and then blowing the entire place up.
The end………
(IMO)
They need to spend the money on the VFX not the actors. They could very easly find new-comer actors that look just like Arnold and Biehn.
I’m looking forward to this film but I think the “milking it factor” is going to ruin the Franchise.
Oh boy, do I smell another “Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem” coming at us? :’(
ZAR.
Naw Zar I don’t think it will get that bad but gheesh the carrot in this franchise seems to be destroying Skynet. Again and again…. Yikes.
Haggis is basically being brought in the same way he was for CASINO ROYALE and QUANTUM OF SOLACE (i.e. the other writers have moved on and been paid, while he’ll take a pass at it and “fix” any areas in need of repair).
Pure speculation on my part, but there must been some kind of agreement between Haggis and WB. I mean beyond the big paycheck he’ll receive, there’s more to this deal (i.e. maybe they’ll bankroll another one of his films).
Jamie
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