With the success of the ABC television show Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which intersects with the feature films in the Marvel universe including Marvel’s The Avengers, another film franchise is attempting to tie in their feature films to the small screen. As a supplement to the new trilogy of Terminator films (the first reboot is due out in 2015), Skydance Productions and Annapurna Pictures are planning a spinoff television series.
According to Deadline, the show will follow a crucial plot moment in James Cameron’s original 1984 Terminator film (though which one, naturally, has not been specified), but the TV show will take off in a different direction than the film. While there are no plot details available for the series or the films, they will intersect as part of the same story.
The film reboot, which will be directed by Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World), will also tie in to the original movie and will feature Arnold Schwarzenegger reprising his iconic role.
The Terminator franchise has been brought to television before. In 2008 Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles debuted on FOX. The show aired for two seasons before being cancelled despite a mostly positive critical reception. This is obviously a concern for the new show; however, if the new films are a success, they may give the series the boost it needs to remain on the air.
The series will be executive produced by Ashley Miller and Zach Stentz (writers for X-Men: First Class and Thor) along with Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier, who are writing the script for the upcoming Terminator film.
For more on the TV series, be sure to follow our coverage on mxdwn TV.