James Cameron teases John Connor's mystery role in R-rated Terminator: Dark Fate

When the first trailer for Terminator: Dark Fate dropped last week, fans were left with one big question: Where in the world is the leader of the human resistance against the machines, John Connor? After all, the film (helmed by Deadpool's Tim Miller) is a direct sequel to T2: Judgement Day, so a grown-up John should be prominently featured.

Speaking with Flicks and the City in a video interview that is no longer available on Vimeo, producer James Cameron (the progenitor of the entire franchise) basically confirmed that John, will, in fact, have some role to play in the sixth Terminator movie.

“I think the best way to think about Terminator: Dark Fate is to think about it as a direct sequel to Terminator 2, the third film in a series if you will," he said. "We’ll be continuing John’s story, with Sarah’s story, and the T-800 returns — a different T-800 with a very different role to play than what we’ve seen before."

Hopefully, the shroud of mystery surrounding John Connor will pay off for audiences when November finally rolls around and the movie opens in theaters. If he's being played by some big actor (or even an adult Edward Furlong), that would be pretty cool to see, especially if it's not spoiled for everyone beforehand.

Credit: Paramount Pictures

Cameron also confirmed the sci-fi feature will be R-rated like the first two movies in the series. In addition, the plot of Dark Fate unfolds in a period of less than two days.

"I think, tonally, what makes this a direct sequel to T1 and T2 is as much about the tone as it is about the narrative: It’s R rated, it’s grim, it’s gritty, it’s fast, it’s intense, it’s very linear," he added. "The whole story takes place in 36 hours. It’s not this kind of grandiose, complex story. It’s just very focused on the characters, it’s very now, it’s very present and it’s just a fast white-knuckle ride."

Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger are reuniting for the first time since T2 to play Sarah Connor and the T-800 respectively. Fresh blood comes in the form of Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna, and Diego Boneta.

Terminator: Dark Fate opens in theaters Friday, Nov. 1. Cameron helped conceive the central story, which was then turned into a screenplay by David S. Goyer (Man of Steel), Justin Rhodes (RoboCop Returns), and Billy Ray (Overlord).

(Cameron quotes via Cinema Blend)