LOS ANGELES–He'll be back – Hollywood strike or no strike!
Cameras began rolling this week on the latest Terminator movie – estimated to cost about $150 million U.S. – for what many Hollywood watchers say is a late start given concerns that labour tensions could lead to an actors strike by July.
Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins, began shooting Monday in New Mexico, bucking a trend in which studios have mostly avoided launching new productions they cannot be sure of completing before the Screen Actors Guild contract expires on June 30.
But don't look for the Governator in this one. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) was the last film in the franchise to star Arnold Schwarzenegger as the unstoppable cyborg from the future who made the line, "I'll be back," a worldwide catchphrase.
The fourth Terminator is set to reach theaters in May 2009.
Producers announced this week rapper Common will have a starring role in the upcoming instalment of the series. The Chicago MC will play a freedom fighter named Barnes, who is defending the human race against a machine that aims to destroy it.
He'll star alongside Christian Bale, who will play the main character, John Connor.
Meanwhile, SAG and Hollywood's major studios hit a stalemate Tuesday after three weeks of talks, stoking fears of renewed Hollywood labour unrest after a 100-day screenwriters' strike that ended in February.
But union leaders say they still hope to reach a deal without resorting to a walkout.
Reuters
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