Netflix's huge sci-fi reboot is imminent – 40 years after its genre-defining debut

Netflix will soon bring one of the biggest sci-fi franchises back to our screens, with a new series based on, arguably, James Cameron's finest movies.

The streaming service will play host to Terminator Zero, an eight episode series that sees the franchise return to its killer-thriller roots as, once again, a soldier is sent back in time to thwart the plans of a Terminator.

This time the soldier is a woman (Sonoya Mizuno), who is sent to 1997 to protect Malcolm Lee (André Holland), a scientist who creates a rival AI that could destroy Skynet.

The new Terminator is voiced by Deadwood and The Mandalorian's Timothy Olyphant, and is described by the show's creator, Mattson Tomlin, as something we haven't seen before: "It feels fresh and new and wholly its own thing," he told Netflix's Tudum blog.

That could apply to the whole show too, as Terminator Zero is the first in the franchise to be fully animated. It is an anime series from the studio behind Ghost in the Shell, which should mean it pulls few punches.

Certainly, Tomlin believes that it stays closer to the spirit of Cameron's 1984 movie than it does T2: Judgment Day and the other sequels that followed. It channels the original "serial killer" vibes, he reportedly told the crowd at the 2024 Anime Expo in LA (via Deadline).

アニメシリーズ『Terminator: The Anime Series (原題)』配信決定 Geeked Week '23 - Netflix - YouTube

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Of course, Zero won't be the first Terminator TV show – that honour went to Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles which lasted for two seasons made by Fox in 2008 and 2009.

Game of Thrones' Lena Headey starred as Connor, but while it encompassed 31 episodes, it didn't really catch on and was cut short before really catching on. That was prior to the streaming boom though, so who knows how well it could have done had it been attached to a major service?

Hopefully this anime run will have more success and kickstart the franchise back to life after a fairly turgid run of movies. While Salvation was interesting and had its moments, Genisys and Dark Fate struggled to capture the imagination – even with Arnie back on board.

We should find out soon as Terminator Zero will start on Netflix on 29 August – or "Judgment Day", as it's otherwise known.