As James Cameron continues his work on the next installment in the franchise, André Holland is weighing in on reprising hisTerminator Zerorole in live-action. The acclaimed star made his franchise debut in the Netflix anime show, starring as Malcolm Lee, a scientist racing to perfect an artificial intelligence that can rival Skynet and stop Judgment Day. Developed and showrun byThe Batman — Part II’s Mattson Tomlin,Terminator Zeroscored rave reviewsfrom critics and audiences, while leaving just enough room open for future stories.
During an interview withScreenRantat the Sundance Film Festival premiere of his new movie,Love, Brooklyn, Holland was asked about the possibility of returning as Malcolm Lee to theTerminatorfranchise.TheZerostar was very enthusiastic in his hopes to reprise his character, recalling the final day of recording the dialogue for his character, in which he told the producers to seriously consider him if Malcolm crossed over to live-action. Check out what Holland said below:
Man, listen, I had so much fun doing that. And when we finished, I remember the day we finished, we walked out the door and I said to them, “If you guys do this, please call me, because I would love to do it.” It was so much fun.
What Holland’s Comments Mean For His Terminator Future
Some Timeline Tweaking Would Be Needed For His Return
For much of the show’s run, the AI Kokoro and other characters find themselves wondering just how Malcolm knew as much as he did about Skynet and the future destruction of humanity at the AI’s hands. It was eventually revealed inepisode 7 thatMalcolm was actually from the future and traveled back to the past to stop Skynet and be with the robotic entity he created. Though his efforts did initially succeed, the world was now at the whim of both a freed Kokoro and Skynet, while Malcolm died inTerminator Zero’s endingto save resistance soldier Eiko.
While most franchises would view a character’s death as their ending,theTerminatorfranchise is certainly no stranger to reviving characters, which is largely down to its time travel formula. As explained in the anime, the rules Tomlin adhered to is that, every time a human or machine traveled back in time, it created an entirely new timeline. With this in mind, it’s entirely possible for the nextTerminatormovie to be set in a present day timeline, in which Malcolm is still alive andstill putting together Kokoro.
All 3 Terminator Zero Timelines Explained
Netflix’s Terminator Zero anime takes place in at least three timelines, none of which are exactly the timelines we’ve seen in the Terminator movies.
The other possibility for how Malcolm could return in the next movie is ifTerminator 7was once again setin the post-apocalyptic timeline. While he’s remained mum on details for the next film,Cameron has previously indicated it will do away with the “distinct iconography”, even as it explores the same themes of the originals. With this in mind, the door certainly is open for Cameron, in an effort to move away from the oft-treaded Connor family story, to consider bringing back Holland as Malcolm.
Our Take On Holland’s Potential Terminator Future
It Would Provide A Sense Of Gravity & Originality To The Franchise
While I have largely remained a fan of the series since its original installment, I certainly can’t help but feel liketheTerminatorfranchisewas running its course on film with its continued focus on the Connor family, much in the wayStar Warsbecame too focused on the Skywalkers. As such,Terminator Zerowas a very welcome surprise, and though it may require a bit of timeline changes, I think Holland getting to reprise his role as Malcolm from the show would be a fantastic way to provide some acting gravitas and more originality.
