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It was pretty obvious when Skydance sold shares to Tencent that the China internet/tech giant would be buying into “Terminator (2019)”. The business move seems like a “play-safe” move after the success of Terminator Genisys. As Hollywood backs away from China investment; Skydance strengthens their relationship.

Tencent officially announces:

Achieved strategic cooperation with Skydance Media. The first part of the new movie “Terminator” Tencent Pictures will conduct extensive and in-depth cooperation with Skydance Media in the areas of film, IP adaptation, and VR. The first collaborative film is the first of the new “Terminator” trilogy, produced by James Cameron and David Ellison, directed by Tim Miller, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton. . Tencent will participate in the investment and production of this film, and will be responsible for the declaration and derivative products in mainland China. The movie is expected to be turned on this summer and will be released in North America in November 2019. Skydance Media CEO David Ellison attended the conference and started strategic cooperation with Cheng Wu.

External reports continue talk about the co-operation between Tencent and Skydance…

Arnold Schwarzenegger will make a return to the big screen next year in the first instalment of a new Terminator trilogy backed by Tencent Pictures. The entertainment arm of the Shenzhen-based internet giant will work with US production firm Skydance Media to revive the Terminator movie franchise, according to Tencent Pictures CEO Cheng Wu. Tencent invested in Skydance earlier this year for an undisclosed sum, and as part of the arrangement will co-finance movies, TV shows and video game projects while lending their expertise to each other in their respective countries.

An event shows a title unveiling of The Terminator 2019 but in published (yet translated) wording,- calls it Terminator (2019). Is it possible China, who has never has a theatrical release of the first movie, will get The Terminator (2019) and the rest of us will get Terminator (2019) OR is the world getting a semi-remake of the first movie titled The Terminator 2019 which will be a sequel to the second Terminator movie; Terminator 2: Judgment Day… ?

Tencent Pictures announced that it had initiated strategic cooperation with Skydance Media and reactivated Terminator with Skydance Media. The first of the new “Terminator” trilogy is “Terminator 2019”. James Cameron is the producer. The starring Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton will return. The film will be filmed in May of this year and will be released in 2019.

The event announces the keyplayers…

Tim Miller will be directing Terminator (2019) but what is pretty funny is his previous R Rated movie Deadpool was BANNED in China and Deadpool was hardly serious and brutal as an R Rated movie might be (if you exclude the strap on and unnecessary OTT sex scenes that obviously boosted the R Rating).

We know that China investment includes certain demands like cultural references (even if scenes are just filmed for China), casting or even toning down violence.

China’s tech giants are engaged in intense competition to acquire and create content, whether movies, TV dramas or games, to attract and retain users across their various platforms. At stake is the world’s largest internet market with almost 800 million users, with the growing number of younger digital-native consumers more willing to spend on content.

Is a PG-13 rating for the new Terminator movie already set in stone? Is Skydance playing things so safe that potentially it could be dooming the Terminator movie to fail in every market other than China? Could Chinese audiences reveal that the tremendous turnout for Genisys was nothing more than a anomaly that won’t be repeated in succession, were they just curious- did they actually enjoy the movie or did they just turn out for Arnold Schwarzenegger?

Is Tencent and China going to embrace a real Terminator movie that is R Rated, or will investor demands destroy the movie (like they have destroyed Terminator movies before)?

We want to know the age rating now Skydance- until then we are presuming this is PG-13, as Age Rating holdbacks (which you have already participated in with Genisys once already) definitely point to and suggest it.

When James Cameron described Terminator Genisys as a renaissance, was he talking about the movie, or pushing the Terminator franchise around the China market like his Avatar movies?

How much of a reboot is this?

Tencent Pictures announced a strategic cooperation with Skydance Media to restart the “The Ultimate” movie trilogy.

This claims to be a sequel to Terminator 2 but has the title of the first movie? Confused? Affirmative.

Thanks to Infiltrator for the tip off!

Source: Gamersky donews and South China Morning Post

Update – Introduction to a new Generation of Terminator Characters…

Official Terminator 2019 Press Release:

SANTA MONICA, Calif. & BEIJING–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Skydance Media, LLC (“Skydance”), a diversified media company that creates event-level entertainment for global audiences across multiple platforms, and Tencent Pictures, the film and television arm of Chinese Internet giant Tencent Holdings Limited (“Tencent”), announced today that Tencent will co-finance as a global partner the upcoming Terminator film directed by Tim Miller and produced by James Cameron and David Ellison. Under the pact, Tencent will also handle the distribution, marketing and merchandising of the film in China. This is the first collaboration between the two companies since they entered into a partnership, with Tencent making a strategic investment in Skydance Media. “We are thrilled Terminator will be our first collaboration with Tencent, and we believe that partnering this early in the process, prior to production, will allow both companies to fully maximize the opportunity,” said Jesse Sisgold, Skydance Media President & COO. “This franchise is hugely popular with Chinese audiences and will greatly benefit from the massive reach and valuable know-how Tencent has in marketing, distribution, games, and more.” “We are truly excited to be partnering with Skydance on the newest chapter of this iconic franchise. With Skydance’s savvy production expertise and impeccable taste in talent, along with Tencent’s tremendous marketing and distribution capabilities in China, we believe the success of Terminator will serve as a benchmark for future collaborations,” said Edward Cheng, Vice President of Tencent and CEO of Tencent Pictures. The upcoming Terminator movie will be a direct sequel to Cameron’s Terminator 2:Judgment Day starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton, both reprising their iconic roles as “The Terminator” and “Sarah Connor” from the first two Terminator films. The new story will introduce the next generation of characters played by rising stars Mackenzie Davis (Blade Runner 2049, “Halt and Catch Fire”), Natalia Reyes (“Lady, La Vendedora de Rosas”), Diego Boneta (“Scream Queens,” Rock of Ages), and Gabriel Luna (“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”) Specific details on the characters are being kept under wraps. Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox are also co-financing the film, which is scheduled for U.S. release the Friday before Thanksgiving on November 22, 2019. The movie will be distributed domestically by Paramount Pictures and internationally (excluding China) by 20th Century Fox. About Skydance Media, LLC Skydance is a diversified media company founded by David Ellison in 2010 to create high quality, event-level entertainment for global audiences across platforms, including feature films, animation, television, gaming and digital. To date, Skydance has produced and financed 15 feature films, which have cumulatively grossed nearly $5 billion in worldwide box office. Skydance TV launched in 2013, creating 8 premium series to date, with current distribution partners that include Apple, Amazon, AMC, DirecTV, Hulu, Netflix, and The Paramount Network. Skydance Interactive is a multifaceted game studio with premier brand games, including Archangel VR. In the last four years, the Company has grown from 15 employees in Santa Monica to over 150, with facilities in Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey, Hollywood and Vancouver. About Tencent Holdings Limited and Tencent Pictures Tencent uses technology to enrich the lives of Internet users. Tencent’s social products WeChat and QQ link its users to a rich digital content catalogue including games, video, music and books. Its proprietary targeting technology helps advertisers reach out to hundreds of millions of consumers in China. Tencent’s infrastructure services including payment, security, cloud and artificial intelligence create differentiated offerings and support its partners’ business growth. Tencent invests heavily in people and innovation, enabling the company to evolve with the Internet. Tencent Pictures, the film and television arm of Chinese Internet giant Tencent Holdings Limited (“Tencent”), has been a key strategic partner on a number of high profile global films such as Universal’s Warcraft, Warner Bros’ Kong: Skull Island, and most recently Warner Bros’ Wonder Woman.