Terminator: Genesis Calls Emilia Clarke To Play Sarah Connor

By Rudie Obias | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

Emilia Clarke is the new Sarah ConnorIt’s been a busy week for Terminator 5. First, rumors that the reboot would be sub-titled Genesis. Then reports emerged that a TV series is in the works, that its will tie-in to the new trilogy of films. Jason Clarke is in talks to play one of the film’s male leads, John Connor. The role of his mother, Sarah Connor, has been a hot topic, but now it appears that Skydance Productions and Annapurna Pictures have settled on the new face of the franchise, Emilia Clarke.

Deadline reports that the British actress will be the next Sarah Connor in Terminator: Genesis. This reteams Clarke with her Game of Thrones director Alan Taylor. She also joins series icon Arnold Schwarzenegger, who will officially return to the franchise he helped launch. He is expected to reprise his role as the T-800.

While it isn’t official, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Zero Dark Thirty actor Jason Clarke (no relation), Sarah’s son John, who also happens to be the savior of humanity. If Jason Clarke is cast, there will be an 18-year age gap between the older John and the younger Sarah.

Emilia Clarke is best known for playing Daenerys Targaryen in HBO’s Game of Thrones. While the number of movies and TV shows she has appeared in is limited, she definitely has a great presence and a strong command of the screen (as well as dragons). Clarke also played Zoidberg’s girlfriend (yes, he had a girlfriend) on Futurama in the episode “Stench and Stenchibility.”

Emilia Clarke will be the third actress to play Sarah Connor. The role originated with Linda Hamilton playing the role in the 1984 original film and Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Clarke’s Game of Thrones co-star Lena Headey played the role on the TV series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Hamilton is also rumored to be joining the cast of Genesis, as Sarah Connor. This is getting complicated.

The recently Terminator TV series will work with screenwriters Zack Stentz and Ashley Miller (X-Men: First Class, Thor). Terminator 5 screenwriter Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier will serve as executive producers, and help the series lineup with the events in the movies. At the moment, it’s unclear if Clarke or Schwarzenegger will appear on the show, too, but it’s hard to imagine the former California governor being a regular on a TV show.

Rumors say the new film will incorporate more time travel than before, and could take a new direction for the series without negating the original films. Taylor Kitsch (Battleship) and Nicholas Hoult (X-Men: Days of Future Past) are two actors up for the role of Kyle Reese. Considering the ages of those actors, Reese will apparently also be younger than John Connor, his son, which brings up more questions about how Terminator 5‘s timeline will connect with what came before. However it happens, it will be interesting to watch.

Terminator: Genesis hits theaters everywhere on July 1, 2015.