One of the most talked-about moments in the Terminator Genisys trailer was the beginning of the face-off between Arnold Schwarzenegger’s older “Guardian” Terminator and his badass 1984 self (in CGI form), a fight which TheTerminatorFans has some (possible) juicy new spoilerific details on.
Apparently production company Skydance is unhappy with the initial shoot for this battle royale, but instead of flying Arnold & co. in for expensive reshoots at Griffith Observatory they are utilizing TWO computer generated Arnold’s to create new shots that will make the fight “more brutal.”
“The battle will be better then the T-800 and T-1000 from T2. The ground will break on the wrestling fight,” says their anonymous production source.
Here’s a more detailed description of pre-viz from the piece: “The young digitally enhanced T-800 is doing a forward lunge double fist punch and/or crushing the aged T-800’s face, with both its knuckles pile-driving into the real Arnold Schwarzenegger’s metal skull, like something out of a wrestling match. The aged T-800 has its left arm locked under the T-800’s right shoulder as if it is going to make a deadly move on the younger T-800.”
During the ensuing brawl, both T-800s will sustain heavy damage, although the Guardian will emerge the victor and ultimately heal over time to become the grey-haired, present-day, grumpy old man Terminator who aids Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese in their battle against Skynet.
Fans worried about a reprise of the dodgy-looking digital Arnold from Terminator Salvation will be happy to know that the filmmakers of Terminator Genisys are using the actual molds taken by Stan Winston for the original 1984 Terminator to recreate the actor in his prime.
Lending this story credence is the fact that Skydance itself has retweeted the article, although it shouldn’t come as too much of a shock as the use of digital doubles in fight sequences has become as commonplace as punching and kicking. Still, it sounds like producers are looking to push the boundaries of a PG-13 rating even further with this new installment.
Terminator Genisys is poised to play with the continuity of the entire “Terminator” franchise by recreating scenes from the first two films in the series and also revealing Sarah Connor was raised by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator, whom she calls “Pops.” The film will also feature a man-machine hybrid as its primary antagonist which the filmmakers describe as a “visual gamechanger.”
Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, J.K. Simmons, Dayo Okeniyi, Byung Hun Lee and Matt Smith, Terminator Genisys is directed by Thor: The Dark World‘s Alan Taylor from a screenplay by Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier. It will hit theaters on July 1, 2015 and is the first in a planned trilogy of films.
