Netflix is bringing the “Terminator” franchise back online with “Terminator: The Anime Series.” While announced back in 2021, the streamer just released the first teaser as a part of GeekedWeek. It will be an eight-episode series focusing on entirely new characters in the franchise.
“2022: A future war has raged for decades between the few human survivors and an endless army of machines,” the logline reads. “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 works to launch a new AI system designed to compete with Skynet’s impending attack on humanity. As Malcolm navigates the moral complexities of his creation, he is hunted by an unrelenting assassin from the future which forever alters the fate of his three children.”
Animation for the new “Terminator” series will be done by Japanese studio Production IG, which also worked on “Ghost in the Shell.” The show is directed by Masashi Kudo, and co-written by Gale Anne Hurd and Mattson Tomlin. Tomlin will also be working as the showrunner and executive producer. Other executive producers include David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Don Granger from Skydance, as well as Kundo.
“Anyone who knows my writing knows I believe in taking big swings and going for the heart,” Tomlin said when the series was first announced. “I’m honored that Netflix and Skydance have given me the opportunity to approach Terminator in a way that breaks conventions, subverts expectations and has real guts.”
“Terminator is one of the most iconic sci-fi stories ever created–and has only grown more relevant to our world over time,” said John Derderian, Netflix vice president of animated series. “The new animated series will explore this universe in a way that has never been done before. We can’t wait for fans to experience this amazing new chapter in the epic battle between machines and humans.”
“I asked my long-time friend and colleague Mamoru Oshii what he thought about the idea of turning the Terminator into an animated series,” added Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, President and CEO of Production IG. “His response was “Ishikawa, are you out of your mind?” At that instant, I was confident we should get onboard. As huge fans, our team at Production I.G is putting their heart and souls into creating this series. We hope fans will enjoy it!”
The franchise first launched in 1984 with James Cameron’s action-slasher “The Terminator.” That film has now spawned six films and a short-lived television series. There was also a web-series, “Terminator Salvation: The Machinima Series,” in 2009 that took place between the events of “Rise of the Machines” and “Salvation.”
You can check out the mysterious teaser trailer for “Terminator: The Anime Series” below:
