Well, he did say he’d back… Okay, before anyone gets the wrong idea and starts thinking that Arnold Schwarzenegger is planning to jump back into one of his old roles now that he’s finished Governating California, there is absolutely no direct link between the actor-turned politician and any current rumblings on the Terminator front. But according to Deadline, the idea that the Austrian Oak could be tempted back to the franchise is kicking up some fresh interest in the films, with Universal said to be sniffing around the rights.
The studio is apparently scouting out new directing jobs for Justin Lin, who has been busy guiding the more recent entries in the Fast & the Furious franchise, with Fast Five due in a couple of months. And the Terminator series could be just the ticket, with Universal also considering putting Lin back together with Fast Five/47 Ronin scriptwriter Chris Morgan.
As of right now, however, it’s either being plotted under the radar or is the product of speculation more than hard fact. What we do know about the rights to the Terminator series is that hedge fund company Pacificor has them following a bankruptcy auction the company itself forced on previous owners Halcyon. At one point, it looked like Sony and Lionsgate might pair up to buy the option and distribute the eventual films, but the companies walked away.
Original Terminator/T2: Judgement Day scripting collaborator William Wisher does apparently have a treatment floating around that outlines a fifth and even six outing for the battle between man and machines, but little has been heard of that since early last year…