Cameron shared the good news at a private event, saying, "As meaningful as she was to gender and action stars everywhere back then, it's going to make a huge statement to have that seasoned warrior that she's become return." Hamilton, who became one of film's most iconic female heroines as Sarah Connor, will be thrust back into the action: "There are 50-year-old, 60-year-old guys out there killing bad guys, but there isn't an example of that for women," said Cameron.

Cameron will return to the franchise as producer, with Deadpool director Tim Miller conducting proceedings. Hamilton and Schwarzenegger will play big roles in the movie, which has no formal release date, but they'll also be used to push the story forward for a new generation of characters.

"We're starting a search for an 18-something woman to be the new centerpiece of the new story," Cameron said. "We still fold time. We will have characters from the future and the present. There will be mostly new characters, but we'll have Arnold and Linda's characters to anchor it."