As part of2023’s Geeked Week, Netflix has just unveiled the first teaser for its upcoming series, under the working titleTerminator: The Anime Series. Hailing from the prestigious Japanese animation studio, Production IG, known for their work onGhost in the Shell,this eight-episode animated series aims to breathe new life intotheTerminatoruniverseas it breaks ground by becomingthe first animated iteration of the franchise, while the series will take a bold step by introducing a cast of new characters, providing a fresh perspective on the dystopian conflict between humans and machines.
In the series, we find ourselves thrust into the year 2022, where a relentless battle has waged for decades between human survivors and an overwhelming army of machines. Rewinding the clock to 1997, the yearSkynetgained self-awareness and initiated its war against humanity, the series introduces a soldier sent back in time with a mission to alter the course of history. The focus shifts to the efforts of scientist Malcolm Lee, who, in 1997, has focused all his energy into helping humanity to launch a new AI system designed to rival Skynet’s impending attack. As Malcolm grapples with the moral complexities of his creation, he becomesthe target of an unrelenting assassin from the future, forever altering the fate of his three children.
Mattson Tomlinserves as the showrunner, writer and executive producer on the series, having previously worked on the likes ofProject PowerandThe Batman II. The project is backed by executive producers fromSkydance—David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Don Granger,while the series is directed byMasashi Kudo.At the time of the series' announcement, Tomlin made the following statement declaring his excitement at taking part in the project.
“Anyone who knows my writing knows I believe in taking big swings
and going for the heart. 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.”
What is the ‘Terminator’ Series About?
Based on thefilm franchise established byJames Cameron, theTerminatorseries has long revolved around the inevitable war between humanity and Skynet. Created by the military as a computer defense system,Skynet becomes self-awareand sees humanity as a threat, leading it to launch a nuclear apocalypse in its attemptto eradicate human civilisation, building an army of machinesincluding humanoid robots called Terminators, designed to infiltrate and eliminate the remaining humans.
You can see the first teaser forTerminator: The Anime Seriesdown below. Collider will keep our readers updated on the release date for the series as it becomes available.
Terminator Zero
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.
Watch on Netflix
