Terminator Zero creator reveals why the new Netflix anime series is 'a faithful adaptation' to the sci-fi franchise
"In Terminator, when you strip it down, you’re not human"
· TechRadarFeatures By Jeff Spry published 26 August 2024
The sagging Terminator franchise celebrates its 40th anniversary this year after first being powered up by acclaimed director James Cameron back in 1984. And while it’s never easy entering middle-age dragging a pair of creaky sequels titled Terminator: Genisys and Terminator: Dark Fate behind you, we’re about to enter a bold new era of Skynet smackdown with Netflix’s electrifying Terminator Zero anime series that launches on August 29, 2024.
It’s hard to fathom the fact that there has never been a Terminator animation project of any form or flavor, but such is the puzzling case. Bolstered by the dynamic writing of The Batman’s co-screenwriter Mattson Tomlin (Project Power, Mother/Android), directorial duties courtesy of seasoned anime ace Masashi Kudo (Bleach), a killer synthesizer score by Kevin Henthorn and Michelle Birsky, and the animation wizardry of Production IG (Ghost in the Shell), this eight-episode series brings the high-profile sci-fi property back to its old-school horror roots.
Tomlin also serves as Terminator Zero’s showrunner and executive producer, and his time working with The Batman director Matt Reeves on the rebooted Caped Crusader flicks and its upcoming sequel let the filmmaker hone his skills in the grit and grime of Gotham City gutters. It's safe to say with this much talent behind the show that it has the potential to be not only one of the best Netflix series but the best Netflix anime.
What can we expect from Terminator Zero?
TERMINATOR ZERO | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube
Set in Tokyo within the dual timelines of 1997 and 2022, Terminator Zero’s plot targets that fateful event in late summer known as Judgment Day and follows the brilliant scientist Malcolm Lee who’s being stalked by a relentless T-800 assassin robot.
Lee has created an advanced AI named Kokoro to counter Skynet’s insidious defense system. As the clock ticks ever closer to Armageddon for humanity, a lone female freedom fighter called Eiko is slingshot back in time from the year 2022 to protect Lee from the homicidal android aiming to thwart this major threat.
Terminator Zero has an impressive roster of voice actors that showcases the innumerable talents of Timothy Olyphant (Deadwood, Justified) as the Terminator, Rosario Dawson (Ahsoka) as Kokoro, André Holland (Moonlight) as Malcolm Lee, Sonoya Mizuno (House of the Dragon) as Eiko, and Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale) playing the role of The Prophet.
Mattson Tomlin's creative freedom
With time running out until the show’s August 29th release and so many eyeballs locked onto this first Terminator animated series – especially after seeing that the anime looks to go back to the original movie’s horror roots in first trailer – Tomlin’s feelings are a fusion of nervousness and deep calm.
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