Get ready for Terminator 4

2004-09-24 21:52

Los Angeles - The Terminator will be back next year, but will California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger reprise the movie role that made him a superstar?

Warner Bros. studios has given the green light for Terminator 4 to begin production next year, despite doubts that the movie star turned politician will be free to take on more enemies, Daily Variety reported.

After a year in development, the latest film in the hit movie franchise will return under the direction of Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines director Jonathan Mostow, the industry daily said.

Studio bosses have held talks with the Austrian-born governor of the state over his availability for the film, the daily said.

"Discussions have already occurred for him to return for an encore, but the likelihood is that it would be in a limited role," Variety said, adding that the film would likely star a new model of killer cyborg to replace the man now dubbed the "Govern-ator."

Schwarzenegger made his last major screen appearance in T-3 which was released last year shortly before he was elected Republican governor of the most populous US state in a landslide election in October.

But when the former Mr Universe bodybuilding champion announced he was running for office, he promised to give up his lucrative movie career to focus on California's dire financial problems.

Schwarzenegger was paid a record-breaking $30m for his role in the movie that cost $175m to make and raked in around $430m in ticket sales.

T-4; is not expected to cost as much to produce as its last predecessor given the advances in computer generated imagery that reduce the need for elaborate special effects.

- AFP