Ever since the round of leaked photos from on and near the set of the new Terminator movie, it seems that measures have been taken to clamp down on security and secrecy, as very little has come out of New Orleans lately. While that unfortunately means I haven't had much to post about here, I'm actually happier that we're not seeing too much information leaked, since even little things like seeing which characters are in a scene together and makeup effects can be spoiler-ish.
However, that hasn't stopped other sites for rushing to post second or third-hand information, given that this is such a big movie that the world can't wait for! Recently, there have been reports claiming that the title of the movie has been decided, and it is simply "Terminator." This seems to have started from the licensing expo I reported about last time who likely had little to do with the actual production of the movie, but rather, was kind of a placeholder that there will be Terminator related merchandise next year. Now, people have claimed "multiple sources" saying the name is "Terminator" but it only seems to be echo-chambering of this licensing angle. Well, we checked with our source who is closely tied with the production, and the Gillinator is telling you now that these are indeed bogus claims and while I don't yet know what the title will be, it is definitely NOT just "Terminator." But don't worry, it will still contain Terminator in the title. Anyone saying otherwise has not done their homework, and here's how to easily tell: if an article title is worded as a yes/no question, the answer is always "No."
While we're talking "negative" instead of "affirmative" T-news, TAFs also has confirmation that the new Terminator will NOT have a panel or any official presenece at San Diego Comic Con later this month. However, there is a possibility for NYCC, which is in October. It's disappointing that they'll miss out on the maximum exposure to fans that SDCC provides, but understandable given they're right in the middle of filming and wouldn't be able to say or show much at all to keep the plot under wraps. T3 and T4 both had a Con panel, San Diego and NY respectively, the year before their release (yours truly was at the T4 one in which McG practically humped me on stage), so NYCC seems like a shoe-in. Arnold himself showed up at the T3 panel, and given the high profile of him being back in the franchise, it's a pretty safe bet he would come again. Randy Jennings will be at SDCC for Expendables and other cool stuff- myself and the other East Coast TAFs staff will take care of NYCC, so we've got any possible Terminator infiltration covered.
"So, do you have any hard data in that neural net processor?" I hear you asking. Well, yes, I do. I have an exclusive image of the official studio mascot of the new Terminator film. I give you: Reese!
OK, it's not earth-shattering, but at least it's not random conjecture, and come on, isn't he the cutest? Reese now belongs to director Alan Taylor. You need some dogs around to detect the Terminators, right?
One more thing came up recently, a short film called "Final Transmission: John Connor" was created for an incredible mere $400 by "A Rock & Roll Fable" and has some pretty impressive composite FX for that kind of money. The setup is decent too: John Connor's last recorded message as he is dying in the future war and he conveys his emotional state and necessary information to start the events that begin the Terminator saga. It doesn't hold up too well, acting-wise, but is a fun 12 minute diversion in the Terminator universe nonetheless. Watch it below:
That's all for this report. I'll be back, if only to disprove more internet click-bait!