TERMINATOR ZERO: First Look at Netflix’s Upcoming Anime Series Revealed
The last Terminator film, Dark Fate, received decent reviews but underperformed at the box office. As a result, it might be a while before we see the war against the machines return to the big screen.
However, fans of the franchise can look forward to a new direction with Terminator Zero, an 8-episode anime series set to premiere on Netflix on August 29. This date is significant as it marks the Judgment Day event in the movies, which occurred on August 29, 1997.
Netflix, via EW, has released the first official promotional images for the show. The series will shift the story to Tokyo, Japan, and for the first time, move away from the characters of Sarah and John Connor, who have been central to all previous Terminator movies.
Mattson Tomlin, the showrunner and executive producer (known for The Batman – Part II), explains the decision to introduce new characters. “I think that it’s time to explore new characters and not burden myself with another John and Sarah Connor saga. There have been multiple attempts at that,” Tomlin says. “There are a lot of callbacks to the other films. Fans familiar with the movies will recognize these, but John Connor does not make an appearance.”
Tomlin clarifies that the show is not a complete reboot. “We’re not ignoring the third or sixth movies,” he notes. He also mentions a desire to bring the Terminator franchise back to its horror roots. “There’s a valid version of Terminator where the Terminator is akin to Jason Voorhees or Freddy Krueger, an unrelenting serial killer,” he explains. “You’ll see elements of Friday the 13th and Michael Myers from Halloween in here.”
The official synopsis reads: “2022: A future war has raged for decades between the few human survivors and an endless army of machines. 1997: The AI known as Skynet gained self-awareness and began its war against humanity. Caught between the future and this past is a soldier sent back in time to change the fate of humanity. She arrives in 1997 to protect a scientist named Malcolm Lee, who is working on a new AI system designed to counter Skynet’s impending attack. As Malcolm navigates the moral complexities of his creation, he is hunted by an unrelenting assassin from the future, forever altering the fate of his three children.”
Check out the images at the link below. All episodes of Terminator Zero will be available on Thursday, August 29, at 3 a.m. ET/12 a.m. PT on Netflix. Are you excited about this series? Let us know in the comments section below.
