The iconic Terminator franchise is expanding by becoming an all-new animated series. According to Variety, Netflix announced Terminator: The Anime Series is set to debut in 2024.
According to Variety, the official synopsis reads as follows:
“2022: A future war has raged for decades between the few human survivors and an endless army of machines. 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.”
The Terminator franchise began with the 1984 film of the same name. Directed by James Cameron (Titanic, Avatar), the film starred Arnold Schwarzenegger (Twins, Total Recall) as a cyborg sent in the past to end the life of a man who would play a pivotal role in the humans’ victory against the robots. The original and its sequel – Terminator 2: Judgement Day – are heralded as pillars in the science fiction genre. Since the 1991 sequel, there have been four additional sequels, with the latest, Terminator: Dark Fate, bowing in 2019.
“Anyone who knows my writing knows I believe in taking big swings and going for the heart,” showrunner, executive producer, and writer Matt Tomlin (Project Power) said via Variety. “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.”
According to Variety, Japanese animation studio Production IG is creating the series. They are the same team behind Ghost in the Shell and Psych-Pass. Skydance will produce while Masashi Kudo (Tower of God, Sakura Wars) will direct.