There have been a few different dates for Judgment Day in the Terminator series, but for fans of James Cameron’s blockbuster 1991 sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day, that date is August 29. That’s also when Netflix, Skydance and anime studio Production I.G’s Terminator Zero animated series is set to premiere this year.Terminator Zero showrunner and executive producer Mattson Tomlin shared a first look and some additional details in an exclusive summer preview with Entertainment Weekly. According to Tomlin, the eight-episode series keeps all of the main films as canon while moving the story to Tokyo. A wholly original cast—devoid of the Connors who typically stand at the center of the saga—will be in the spotlight in a story set in 1997, on the bleeding edge of Judgment Day.
In this story, a soldier from the future heads back in time to protect Malcolm Lee, a scientist who is developing an AI system with the goal of competing against Skynet. In true Terminator fashion, an unstoppable robot is hot on the trail of Lee, putting his three children in the crosshairs as a result. Tomlin is hoping the audience will eventually get to see a multi-generational story play out as the kids grow up, but that all depends on whether or not the show gets more seasons beyond the first. Thanks to its Japanese setting, don’t expect there to be a bunch of all-guns-blazing firefights (despite the image above). Tomlin said notes from Production I.G regarding the scarcity of guns in Japan forced him to get creative, introducing more melee action, including a Terminator with blades for arms. We’ll see how it plays out when all the episodes drop on Netflix on August 29 at 12:00am Pacific Time. Sources: Entertainment Weekly, Netflix
