TERMINATOR: DARK FATE

Arnie and Linda H: frenemies reunited.

The last movie was not good. Wait, I shouldn’t say that…” If director Tim Miller has a hard time being diplomatic about Terminator, it’s only because he’s such a big fan. Now getting to make what most of us have wanted to see since 1991, he’s finally bringing us a real sequel to Terminator 2: Judgment Day

– and he’s starting by ignoring all the others.

“There have been some… misfires,” he laughs, “You don’t want it to go out that way as a fan. I wanted the franchise to have some kind of noble future again. I wanted to help with that because I love The Terminator so, so much.”

Mackenzie Davis stars as a halfmachine supersoldier sent back from the future to protect Natalia Reyes’ human target – and Gabriel Luna is the advanced Rev-9 Terminator hunting them both. But Dark Fate weaves the new chapter around the original series veterans. Arnold Schwarzenegger is back (of course), but this time the

filmmakers haven’t tried to hide the fact that a few years have passed – with his weathered look and salty new beard making the T-800 look even more invincible. “He looks different, and he is different,” says Miller. “It’s an interesting way to portray him. He’s just so iconic, but it’s something we haven’t seen in any of the other films. I personally think that he looks the best since Terminator 2.”

Encouragingly, James Cameron is also back behind the camera – now producing while Miller (Deadpool) directs – and it’s Linda Hamilton who takes the lead again as Sarah Connor, facing down another unstoppable future with a snarl and a shotgun.

“The first time back in costume was powerful,” says Hamilton. “I walked out of the trailer and it knocked the breath out of everybody. When I saw the look on everyone else’s face, I was like, ‘Alright, I think I can do this!’” Finally deciding to return after months of indecision and pleading calls from Cameron, Hamilton spent six months getting back into physical and mental shape to play one of cinema’s most iconic badasses again. “I know that the first thing people are going to say about me is, ‘Oh she isn’t what she was,’” she laughs. “You just have to cross that one off your list immediately. No, I’m not what I was. But you know what honey? I’m so, so much more now.”

ETA | 23 OCTOBER / TERMINATOR: DARK FATE OPENS THIS AUTUMN.

‘I PERSONALLY THINK ARNIE LOOKS THE BEST SINCE TERMINATOR 2’ TIM MILLER