When it was revealed that McG would be directing Terminator Salvation most people were a little pessimistic, considering the fact he was the man behind Charlies Angels and its sequel. However, on a number of occasions we were told by McG that he had the blessing of James Cameron, who directed the first two Terminator films all those years ago. This made people feel at ease. If James Cameron is backing the film, why shouldn’t we?

Well now, according to an interview with Cameron, he did not give his blessing to Terminator Salvation

Q. Are you involved at all in the Christian Bale production of Terminator 4?

It could be a big steaming pile or it could be brilliant. Sam Worthington is in the Avatar and the new Terminator and he likes the script, but I never saw it. There was no blessing involved.

People thought that Cameron had something to do with Sam Worthington landing a part in the film, having worked on Avatar. Was McG just saying he had his blessing to stop the fans complaining or is James Cameron being awkward but not saying he did?

Yesterday The Dark Knight actor Christian Bale met the Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger in Los Angeles, however I cannot image what they could be talking about. Perhaps they be swapping stories about the currently filming Terminator Salvation? I’m sure Arnold would be interested to know what’s happening with the first Terminator film without him (possibly). Did Arnold congratulate Bale on The Dark Knight and reminisce about when he was part of the Batman franchise as Mr Freeze back in the 1997 movie Batman and Robin?

What do you think they were talking about?

Filming on Terminator Salvation has been halted after Helena Bonham Carter had to leave the set and fly to England after news 4 of her family members had died in a car accident in South Africa.

From WENN

Bonham Carter’s relatives were on a safari holiday in the country when a minibus they were traveling in on Wednesday spun out of control and flipped over after a tire burst.

The actress’ cousin Fiona Bonham Carter, 51, escaped with a broken shoulder. But Fiona’s son Marcus Egerton-Warburton, 14, her mother Brenda, 74, and stepfather Francis Kirkwood, 75, all died.

Fiona’s sister-in-law Kay Boardman, 54, also perished in the crash, in a remote area six hours’ drive from Johannesburg. Bonham Carter has now been granted indefinite leave from the set of Terminator Salvation in Albuquerque, New Mexico to fly back to the U.K. to comfort her distraught family.

A source tells British newspaper the Sunday Express:

“Everyone here was in a state of shock when the news came through. I saw an assistant of Helena’s who told me she is absolutely stricken with grief. She can’t believe what happened.”

Helena Bonham Carter has a small yet pivotal role in the movie, and is apparently playing a villain called Serena.

To lose one family member is bad enough, but to lose 4 is just horrible. Lets hope her scenes can be filmed in a couple of weeks, or months, if that is what she needs.

Terminator Salvation producer Moritz Borman recently spoke to Wired about the involvement of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie.

Borman, who produced all three previous Terminator movies, told Wired.com: “Schwarzenegger is governing California. He will not be, as a person, in the film.”

“As a person” opens the door to some kind of voiceover, right?

“I’m not going to answer the question about what we’re trying, or what we want, or what we’re toying with,” said Borman. “It’s really up to what fits in the film or not. Maybe his voice, or maybe not. It’s really not settled.

I hope both Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton are in the movie in some form. To not acknowledge their existence in the Terminator universe would be a shame. However, I am tired of people asking members of the cast and crew about their involvement. The producers are obviously wanting to surprise us so why spoil it!

Stupid question asking people.

Last week there was talk of Linda Hamilton making an appearence in Terminator Salvation, however that was speculation and nobody really knew if she would make an appearance as Sarah Connor or not. More recent rumours have suggested a photograph of Sarah Connor would be used in the film. Well, yesterday TheArnoldFans contacted Hamilton’s agent and got this response:

…we just got off the phone with Linda Hamilton’s agent on Monday, August 11th. The original Sarah Connor star has not been contacted at all for any “Terminator Salvation” offers nor for her rights of her Polaroid to be used in the film. We even asked if Hamilton was contacted to lend her voice for narration. I think it’s safe to say Linda will NOT be back. Sarah Connor only lives on through her son, John.

Linda’s agent told us it was her belief that Hamilton would need to be paid by WB but the film company has not yet contacted them. “I can’t give an answer and until we’re approached, we have no idea,” she told us before asking us many questions about where all of these rumors came from. Nothing but a rumor.

If they plan on using an image of Sarah Connor in the film it could mean that Hamilton may not be contacted until the post production stages, so there is a chance Hamilton may appear. Although, I’d rather not know as it could ruin a surprise. Damn movie news websites and blogs!

Sarah Connor could be appearing in Terminator Salvation if Pause.com’s post has any truth in it.

I just got off the phone with a studio source who told me that Linda Hamilton has just signed on for (up to) a three-picture deal to reprise her role as Sarah Connor in flashbacks. This is excellent news for those of us who would have otherwise missed her girl-next-door-turned-badass presence in the next Terminator outing.

However, they later updated the post with:

I’ve since spoken to a representative for Hamilton who claims that they haven’t heard about this, which obviously puts a damper on this story. The rep said “I can tell you that Linda is a big fan of T1 and T2 and would be very interested in hearing about participating in the new film” but beyond that claimed not to know anything about it.

Who do we believe? The studio source or the rep who may not want to spoil the surprise? I hope this turns out to be true as it would add some much needed continuity to the trilogy. Linda Hamilton didn’t return for T3 because apparently the script was “soulless” and director James Cameron wasn’t returning. Although Cameron has nothing to do with next set of films, they do have his blessing, and that may be enough for Hamilton to sign the dotted line.

Helena Bonham Carter confirmed to Scifi.com that she will indeed be playing a bad guy/woman in Terminator Salvation.

“I kind of play a baddie, definitely a baddie,” Bonham Carter said, “I don’t know how much I’m allowed to say, but I’m a very bad person.”

Bonham Carter is a new addition to the cast of the film, which already includes Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin and Bryce Dallas Howard.

Bonham Carter (Sweeney Todd) replaced Tilda Swinton at the 11th hour and will work a total of about 10 days on the film, which is currently in production in New Mexico.

“Tim [Burton] would have killed me if I hadn’t done it, because he’s such a Terminator fan,” Bonham Carter said, referring to her longtime partner and director on such films as Planet of the Apes. “I’ve been in big movies before, like Apes, and Fight Club was big in a different way, and Charlie [and the Chocolate Factory] and Sweeney Todd were big, but I’ve never been in this kind of big popcorn action movie, a male one, an action one.”

It’s interesting that she replaced Tilda Swinton. The producers must have been keen on having the evil woman have an English accent. Carter will be playing Serena in the movie and will have a small but hugely important role part in the first film.

The L.A. Times recently interviewed Arnold Schwarzenegger and Terminator Salvation was one of the topics discussed. Most people have seen the teaser trailer, so what does the original Terminator think about our first glimpse at the relaunched Terminator franchise?

“I’ve seen very little footage so I don’t really have a feel for it. I hope they do well, and I hope it is a huge hit. I do hope it creates a spectacle on the screen. That is what James Cameron created.”

“With Batman and Terminator, those big movies, there’s a certain expectation and if you don’t live up to it, if the movie is not a 10, then the business will be soft, if ['Salvation'] is pushing it forward, it will be breaking records all the time. If [director McG] has the T4 and the kind of shots that has the audience thinking, ‘Now how did he do that?’ — then it is ‘Terminator’ and you can blow everyone away and every record at the box office.”

It seems Schwarzenegger has high expectations, and rightly so. James Cameron’s Terminator movies kicked all sorts of ass and pushed all sorts of boundaries. It was clearly a business decision to reboot the franchise and if they do it half-heartedly it will not live up to the expectations and a lot of people will be pissed. The teaser trailer doesn’t reveal much but thats because it is a teaser. So far I haven’t seen anything that suggests Terminator Salvation will push boundaries or give us the ‘WOW’ factor the previous movies did. (We’ll forget T3)

Arnie may be more enthusiastic about it when we get another trailer with Quantum of Solace in November.

Below is a new image of Christian Bale as John Connor and Sam Worthington as Marcus Wright from Terminator Savation.

John Connor is fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators. But the future Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright, a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet’s operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind.

Yet more Comic Con goodness has arrived online. This time we get to see director McG, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Moon Bloodgood, Bryce Dallas Howard and Common answer questions about the upcoming movie and their characters.

We also have a new poster with a rather mean looking Terminator who could probably do with a dentist.