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Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

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Template:Future television

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
File:Terminator The Sarah Connor Chronicles.png
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
GenreDrama
Action
Sci-fi
Created byJosh Friedman
StarringLena Headey
Thomas Dekker
Summer Glau
Richard T. Jones
Theme music composerBear McCreary
Brad Fiedel (Terminator series' theme)
Country of origin United States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes9 (List of episodes)
Production
Running time42 minutes approximately
Original release
NetworkFOX
ReleaseJanuary 13, 2008

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is an American television series scheduled to begin on Sunday, January 13, 2008[1] on the U.S. television network Fox. It is a continuation of the Terminator film franchise. Produced by Warner Bros. Television and C2-Pictures, it will revolve around the life of Sarah Connor, and her son, John Connor after the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

The series is being executive produced by Terminator 3 producers and C2 Pictures co-presidents Mario Kassar and Andrew G. Vajna, C2 Senior Vice President James Middleton, David Nutter, and Josh Friedman, who is also writing.[2]

Production

Development

On November 9, 2005, Variety reported that a television series based on the Terminator franchise is being produced by C2 Pictures, which produced Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, in association with Warner Bros. Television. Fox Broadcasting Company had also joined the project by making a commitment to the pilot with Josh Friedman set to write the pilot and to serve as an executive producer for the series. Among the executive producers are C2 Pictures' Andy Vajna, Mario Kassar and James Middleton.[3]

The series, initially titled The Sarah Connor Chronicles, will focus on the character Sarah Connor, who is on the run with her son after the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Regarding the character, Middleton says, "She has the weight of the world on her shoulders and also has to raise a teenage son who may be the salvation of humanity." Friedman comments that the series will contain fewer action sequences due to the smaller budget of television in contrast to feature films.[3]

Fox Broadcasting greenlit production on August 28, 2006, after Warner Bros. Television hired David Nutter to direct the pilot.[4] The series was among seven new TV shows picked up by Fox on May 13, 2007 for its 2007-08 television season.[5]

In a June 20, 2007 interview, Friedman said the show will avoid the "Terminator of the Week" plot device and that Sarah, John, and Cameron will have other threats than just Terminators. Skynet will also come into play as the series progresses. Furthermore, Friedman stated that the events of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines occur in an alternate timeline from that of the TV series.[6] In addition to having planned the entire story arc for the first season, Friedman has a rough idea for the plot of the following three seasons.[7]

At the 2007 summer Television Critics Association press tour, Fox Entertainment Chairman Peter Liguori said that certain aspect of the pilot, involving a Terminator posing as a teacher attacking John at school, would be changed following the shooting at Virginia Tech.[8]

Casting

The casting process of the series took 16 weeks during which the producers auditioned actors not only from America but also from Australia, Canada, and England. Over 300 actresses auditioned for the role of Sarah Connor, the heroine of the Terminator series.[citation needed] Series creator Josh Friedman described the actress he was looking for was someone "who embodied that spirit and who was believable in that role and not just some glammed up, Hollywood, actressy thing". After a friend recommended English actress Lena Headey for the role, Friedman watched her audition tape, and thought she was "a tough, tough woman".[6] Headey was officially cast on November 7, 2006.[9]

On December 7, 2006, the actor cast in the role of 15-year-old John Connor was announced to be Thomas Dekker.[10] Regarding the Terminator films, Dekker says, "They are like my favorite films when I was younger. So it's very ironic that I'm getting to do this. And I know for the younger generation and for myself, John was equally important to me as Sarah was, and I know a lot of the people that I hear from really, really care about John."[11]

The remaining two principal cast members of the series, Richard T. Jones and Summer Glau, were announced in January 2007[12] and February 2007[13] respectively. Jones likens his character, an FBI agent, to that of Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive. Moreover, he is allowed to improvise a few lines to provide "a little bit of comic relief" to the show.[14] Unlike Dekker, Glau had not seen the Terminator films prior to being cast as Cameron Phillips, whose role in the series was initially kept concealed but was later revealed to be a Terminator sent from the future to protect John.[15] Friedman had previously wanted to cast Glau in a pilot he wrote four years prior to The Sarah Connor Chronicles but she was already committed to Serenity.[6] Glau admitted she felt "intimidated" by the role because the character is comprised of both human and robot characteristics.[16]

The role of Cromartie, a Terminator sent back to kill John Connor, first went to Owain Yeoman, who appeared in the pilot.[17] The trade press reported on September 24, 2007, that Garret Dillahunt has joined the show in that same role.[18]

Filming

The pilot episode was primarily filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The principal photography started on January 24, 2007 and took approximately one month to complete.[19][17] Subsequent episodes in the series are filmed in the backlot of the Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, California, where the set was previously used by Gilmore Girls to depict their fictional town, Stars Hollow.[20]

Plot

Back story

Main article: Terminator 2: Judgment Day

At the end of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Sarah, John, and the Terminator successfully destroy the T-1000 and the arm and computer chip from the first Terminator. Sarah and John then watch as the Terminator is lowered into a molten steel pit in an attempt to destroy all future technology that could be used to create Skynet. Sarah and John now find themselves alone in a very dangerous and complicated world. Fugitives from the law, they are confronted with the reality that still more enemies -- from the future and the present -- could attack at any moment.

Summary

Prompted by the return of the Terminators into their lives, Sarah and John decide to stop running and focus on stopping the birth of Skynet. They are aided by Cameron, a Terminator who poses as a student at John's school and whose mission is to protect John. Meanwhile, FBI Agent James Ellison pursues Sarah and John with the belief that Sarah is deranged.[21][22]

An advanced script review by TV Squad revealed that time travel will play a major role in the series premiere including a temporal leap for the main characters from 1998 to 2006.[23] The pilot episode as broadcast takes place in 1999 with a jump to 2007. Three video clips from the upcoming series premiere published on the IGN website included the evil Terminator using Sarah's voice over the phone to find John, Sarah and John fighting over their current situation, and the evil Terminator looking for John, Sarah, and Cameron at the Dyson residence.[24]

Characters

  • Sarah Connor (portrayed by Lena Headey) is a major character in the Terminator series and is seen as a deranged fugitive by the authorities, who do not believe her story about the Terminators.
  • John Connor (portrayed by Thomas Dekker) is the son of Sarah Connor and a major character in the Terminator series. He is fifteen years old in the show.
  • Cameron Phillips (portrayed by Summer Glau) is a girl who attends school with John. She is an unknown Terminator model, and according to the trailer most human yet; being able to convincingly mimic human emotions better than her predecessors.[15] Cameron is programmed to protect John Connor.
  • James Ellison (portrayed by Richard T. Jones) is an FBI agent pursuing Sarah Connor.
  • Cromartie (portrayed by Owain Yeoman[17] and Garret Dillahunt[18]) is an unknown Terminator model sent back to kill John in the pilot episode. He is shown to take damage to his biological covering, similar to the Model 101.

Promotion

Fox began their advertising campaign for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles on September 27, 2007, with a brief teaser which ran during primetime programs, consisting of an image of two red dots that lasted for a few seconds on screen before disappearing. The two red dots were revealed to be the eyes of the Terminators from the show in the second phase of the advertising campaign, which began two weeks later. Fox heavily promoted the show during the World Series by releasing the first 45-second preview for the show on October 27, 2007. The final phase of the campaign commenced in November 2007 with more broadcast information being added to the advertisements. Joe Earley, Fox executive vice-president of marketing and communications, described it as the "biggest campaign for a new mid-season show in years".[25]

Broadcast information

An extended cut[7] of the pilot was publicly screened for the first time on July 28, 2007 at the 2007 Comic-Con International convention.[26] Originally scheduled to premiere on January 14, 2008, the television broadcast of the show was rescheduled to commence on January 13, 2008 after Fox reorganized their broadcast timetable due to the Writers Guild of America strike.[1] As such, Fox's original intention to air Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles in the Monday 8:00pm ET timeslot as a lead-in program for 24 was also changed. The show was moved to the Monday 9:00pm ET timeslot with Prison Break as its lead-in program.[27]

The series will also air on Virgin 1 in the United Kingdom,[28] TV3 in Ireland,[29] TVB Pearl in Hong Kong,[30] and on the Nine Network in Australia.[31] In Canada, it was originally to air on CTV [32]. However, for scheduling reasons, CTV sent the series down to A-Channel, CTV's secondary channel. [33]

Response

The Futon Critic, in a June 14, 2007 review of the pilot episode, declared that "it's actually far more ingrained into the Terminator mythology than you'd expect" but stated that "this installment feels less like a 'pilot' and more like an excuse to rearrange the deck chairs on the 'Terminator' franchise to potentially have a TV show."[22] Other responses were not so positive. La Lamina Corredora reported that "the pilot feels too much like a cheap remake of T2,"[34] while The Los Angeles Times covered some of the criticisms that feminists have made of the show, notably the choice to cast an "emaciated" actor in the role made famous by the athletic, gun-toting Linda Hamilton, who worked hard to transform her body into that of a muscled warrior for Terminator 2.[35]

References

  1. ^ a b "FOX Postpones '24,' Sets 'American Idol' Premiere". Zap2it.com. 2007-11-07. Retrieved 2007-11-13.
  2. ^ "The Sarah Connor Chronicles Official Site". Fox Broadcasting Company. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  3. ^ a b Adalian, Josef (2005-11-09). "'Terminator' Re-tools". Variety. Retrieved 2007-05-17.
  4. ^ Adalian, Josef (2006-08-28). "Helmer will be back". Variety. Retrieved 2007-07-31.
  5. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2007-05-13). "Fox retains 'Canterbury,' NBC has 'IT'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2007-08-05.
  6. ^ a b c Goldman, Eric (2007-06-22). "Guiding the Sarah Connor Chronicles". IGN.com. Retrieved 2007-06-22.
  7. ^ a b Goldman, Eric (2007-07-29). "SDCC: Terminating With The Sarah Connor Chronicles". IGN.com. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
  8. ^ Elber, Lynn (2007-07-22). "Fox to Revise School Violence Scenes". Retrieved 2007-08-03.
  9. ^ "Headey lands 'Connor' role". Variety. 2006-11-07. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
  10. ^ Goldman, Eric (2006-12-07). "Heroes Star Set to Play John Connor". IGN.com. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
  11. ^ Brokaw, Francine (2007-08-02). "Inside The Sarah Connor Chronicles". Superheroflix.com. Retrieved 2007-08-05.
  12. ^ "Development Update: Thursday, January 18". The Futon Critic. 2007-01-18. Retrieved 2007-08-05.
  13. ^ "Development Update: Monday, February 19". The Futon Critic. 2007-02-19. Retrieved 2007-08-05.
  14. ^ "Richard T. Jones on The Sarah Connor Chronicles". CanMag.com. 2007-09-10. Retrieved 2007-09-25.
  15. ^ a b Goldman, Eric (2007-06-05). "Exclusive: Summer Glau Talks Sarah Connor Chronicles". IGN.com. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
  16. ^ White, Cindy (2007-7-24). "Chronicles' Glau Humanizes Terminator". Sci Fi Channel. Retrieved 2007-08-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ a b c Lee, Patrick (2007-03-05). "Headey Reveals Connor Chronicles". Sci Fi Channel. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
  18. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie, and Kimberly Nordyke (2007-9-24). "4 for 4: Actors called for fall series". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2007-09-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ "Terminator To Stalk Albuquerque". New Mexico Film Office. 2006-10-24. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
  20. ^ Eric Goldman and Travis Fickett (2007-10-10). "On the Set of the Terminator TV Show". IGN. Retrieved 2007-10-12.
  21. ^ "The Sarah Connor Chronicles". Fox Broadcasting Company. Retrieved 2007-08-05.
  22. ^ a b Sullivan, Brian Ford (2007-06-14). "The Futon's First Look: Fox's 'The Sarah Connor Chronicles' (Plus 'Company Man')". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 2007-07-31.
  23. ^ McDuffee, Keith (2007-04-17). "The Sarah Connor Chronicles - A look at the pilot script". TV Squad. Retrieved 2007-07-31. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  24. ^ "The Sarah Connor Chronicles". IGN.com. 2007-05-18. Retrieved 2007-07-31.
  25. ^ Grossman, Ben (2007-10-21). "The Sarah Connor Chronicles Gets Big Push from Fox". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 2007-10-24. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  26. ^ "Full Comic-Con Schedule Online!". Comingsoon.net. 2007-07-09. Retrieved 2007-08-05.
  27. ^ Frutkin, A. J. (2007-11-12). "Writers' Strike Knocks Out January Premiere Of 24". Mediaweek. Retrieved 2007-11-13.
  28. ^ Clarke, Steve (2007-06-14). "Virgin buys 'Sarah Connor,' 'Star Trek'". Variety. Retrieved 2007-06-15.
  29. ^ "TV3 Autumn Schedule Heralds New Phase for Ireland's Leading Commercial Broadcaster". TV3. 2007-08-30. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
  30. ^ "明年節目舊酒新瓶多翻炒". Oriental Daily News（東方日報）. 2007-11-10. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
  31. ^ Devlyn, Darren (2007-09-27). "Gyngell to lead network revival". Herald Sun. Retrieved 2007-10-13.
  32. ^ http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117976968.html?categoryid=14&cs=1
  33. ^ "A-channel's site fore Sarah Connor Chronicles". achannel.ca. 2007-12-23. Retrieved 2007-12-23.
  34. ^ "Review: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Pilot". La Lamina Corredora. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
  35. ^ "New Sarah Connor needs thick skin" by Scott Collins, for The Los Angeles Times, January 11, 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2008

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