Spoiler: How the Terminator Genesis screenplay connects to the original film

TERMINATOR: GENESIS is now filming and while we have very little details to go on about the film, we do know that it will directly connect to James Cameron‘s original film but will also serve as a sort of reboot to the franchise. Planned as a trilogy, TERMINATOR: GENESIS will return to the story of Sarah Connor, John Connor, and Kyle Reese while also including TEMINATOR 2 character Miles Dyson. Well, his son at least. But, with Arnold Schwarzenegger returning as the titular robot, how will his aged appearance work into the script?

Drew McWeeny over at HitFix shared some insight based on a draft of the screenplay he has read that has the film connecting directly via a memorable scene from THE TERMINATOR.

There is a scene in the script where, literally, we see the scene from the first TERMINATOR film where Arnold steps out, the punks threaten him, he rips Bill Paxton‘s heart out and takes his clothes and wanders off. And as soon as that scene ends, another Arnold Schwarzenegger who is older and beared and a very different version of the Terminator walks in from the side and plays another scene right at the scene of that first incident.

Despite McWeeny incorrectly saying it was Paxton who had his heart ripped out (duh, it was Brian Thompson! Everyone knows that!), this is a very intriguing way of connecting the films. Much like J.J. Abrams‘ STAR TREK, this would allow an alternate timeline to be created without erasing the continuity of the original films. How exactly it will be pulled off, assuming it doesn’t get changed by the time the film is completed, should make for an interesting result.

On another note, it appears another actor has been cast in TERMINATOR: GENESIS. Bodybuilder Aaron Williamson posted a photo of himself online as half human, half T-800 before taking it down. Williamson did tell Terminator Fans that he has been cast in the film, but it is unknown if it is as a main character or simply a background role.

Whatever the case, TERMINATOR: GENESIS will have a long way to go to prove itself worthy of connecting to the first two films in the series as the third and fourth films have not quite lived up to fan hopes. Directed by Alan Taylor, TERMINATOR: GENESIS stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emilia Clarke, Jason Clarke, Dayo Okeniji, J.K. Simmons, Sandrine Holt, Byung-hun Lee, and Jai Courtney. It will open in theaters on July 1, 2015.