Terminator: Salvation

It's where the Terminator begins. Is Terminator: Salvation a prequel or a sequel? Taking place after the events of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, the entire movie is set after the events of Judgment Day, the day when the machines of Skynet "took over" and demolished much of the life on the planet. The events in Terminator Salvation and subsequent sequels (or are they prequels?) lead to the point at which the first initial Terminator is sent back in time in the classic 1984 James Cameron movie, Terminator, but the events take place far in the future. A confusing timeline of events that makes for an interesting movie watching experience, continuity is just part of what makes the Terminator franchise exciting and different.

Buy at AllPosters.com

Christian Bale as John Connor. "A soldier waging war against Skynet after it destroyed much of humanity in a nuclear holocaust, who is destined to become humanity's leader." John Connor has been depicted as young, nieve child in previous Terminator films, but hinting at his greatness and vulnerabilities in the future at the same time. Will we see a braver, more heroic John Connor in this film?

Sam Worthington as a decommissioned Terminator, Marcus Wright. This should shed some light on the origins of the Terminator.

Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese. Reese was depicted in the original 1984 Terminator film, and may be the main character of Terminator salvation. A younger version of Kyle Reese, Yelchin will be playing the character before he joins with the resistance.

Bryce Dallas Howard as Kate Brewster or Kate Connor. Brewster's character will be forming the resistance with John Connor in this film.

Moon Bloodgood as Blair Williams, the love interest of Marcus Wright.

Common as Barnes, Connor's go-to guy.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Roland Kickinger as the prototype T-800. It's unsure as of now what the involvement of these two will have playing this prototype Terminator, but obviously not much of a role since Arnold is the governor of California right now.

Helena Bonham Carter as Serena Kogen, the main villain in this movie.

Linda Hamilton will do a voiceover as Sarah Connor, the deceased mother of John Connor, featured in Terminator and Terminator 2.

Picture by CinemaBlend.com.

• 1984, Sarah Connor, a timid LA waitress, find herself being stalked by an unstoppable man from the future. Part man, part machine, this "Terminator" (model T-800) is trying to kill Sarah Connor, the mother of the future leader of mankind.


• Also sent back in time in 1984, Kyle Reese, a respected soldier of John Connor, Sarah Connor's unborn son, to protect Sarah Connor from the Terminator cyborg. She is successfully protected and the Terminator is destroyed, but Reese dies in the process. During Reese's trip back in time, Reese and Sarah Connor conceive their son, John Connor.


• Years later in 1997, Sarah Connor has been locked up in a mental institution for trying to destroy Skynet related factories. Skynet is the automated military program that becomes "self aware" and decides to destroy mankind. John Connor is being raised by foster parents and learns of a Terminator whose intentions are unknown.


• A 2nd Terminator has been sent back in time, the T-1000 liquid metal model, to destroy John Connor. The first Terminator has been sent back in time by John Connor, reprogrammed to protect the younger John Connor.


• The T-800 model Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) along with John and Sarah Connor, successfully destroy the T-1000 Terminator. The T-800 model is destroyed, along with Cyberdyne Systems, the creator of Skynet, to prevent Judgment Day in the future.


• Skynet program continues under the military, and Cyberdyne Research continues.
  
• A third Terminator has been sent back in time, the T-X model, to destroy future human resistance leaders, along with a model T-800 to protect John Connor and his future wife, Kate Brewster.


• The T-X model Terminator initiates a large virus, which provokes the military to launch Skynet to combat the virus. T-1 model Terminators are also reprogrammed and initiated to start killing personnel.


• T-X model Terminator is terminated by model T-800 Terminator.
  
• John Connor and Kate Brewster head to a remote bunker, instructed that the core of Skynet is located there by Brewster's father, a military figure, when in actuality he is trying to protect them from the oncoming inevitable destruction. The nuclear holocaust begins as Connor and Brewster are safe in the bunker, but the bunker turns out to be an outdated fall out shelter.


• Terminator 4 Salvation, begins following the events of Judgment Day.