Sweet Looking Terminator Salvation Teaser Poster and News From Comic-Con (With Full Panel Video)

Almost since the day Christian Bale was cast in Terminator Salvation we’ve been telling you this was a movie to keep your eyes on. Until Bale joined the cast the whole thing had pretty much been a joke. Christian Bale’s involvement not only gave the whole thing credibility, it established the trilogy as something that we could actually get excited about.

And that’s exactly what people coming out of Comic-Con have been doing – getting excited. The news I’ve been hearing is that the Terminator Salvation panel was one of the best of the entire event. People had already been buzzing about the movie, of course, because of the really cool trailer we all saw attached to The Dark Knight. Comic-Con just seems to have cemented everyone’s enthusiasm for the film. You can judge for yourself because we now have (thanks to Trailer Addict) the full video of the panel itself (unfortunately, not the stuff they showed there). Here it is:

This teaser poster may or may not have come out of Comic-Con. It sort of looks like maybe someone photographed something and then cropped it just right to be a poster. But it’s still pretty good. Check it out below:

In the highly anticipated new installment of The Terminator film franchise, set in post-apocalyptic 2018, Christian Bale stars as John Connor, the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators. But the future Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet’s operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind.

The footage of the film that was screened at the Terminator Salvation panel at Comic-Con (see above) had been getting rave reviews. The film is only about half finished shooting and none of the special effects have been added yet.

Director McG did use the panel to debunk some of the rumors and myths and such that have been going around and to dish out a little info:

• Jonathan Nolan Is The Lead Writer – Despite the fact that he isn’t listed as the writer on the IMDB, McG says that Jonah (Jonathan) Nolan, brother to director Christopher Nolan and co-writer of The Dark Knight, is the lead writer on the film and did the most work on the screenplay.
• Film Is Not Required To Be PG-13 – Rumors have been circulating that the studio was forcing them to make the film a PG-13. McG says it isn’t so. He has free reign to make the movie he wants and whatever it’s rated, it’s rated.
• Film Is Getting The Silver Treatment – As Mike informed us recently, they are exposing the color film stock to three times the amount of silver usually used in order to create a unique look to the film itself.
• It Is A War Film Set In 2018 – The film will take place in 2018 and is the first Terminator film to take place post-Judgment Day. It is essentially a war film and the humans will be battling mostly T-600s and not the more advanced T-800s (the model Arnold Schwarzenegger was in the first three films).
• Staying True To The Mythology – Since the mythology of the story has grown ever more complex with the addition of complex, interweaving, and sometimes conflicting timelines that have been introduced in the three films and the Sarah Conner Chronicles, the filmmakers have decided not to adhere too strictly to the television show and instead focus on remaining true to the movies, Cameron’s in particular.
• Kyle Reese Backstory – We will get to see the development of a young Kyle Reese. We’ll also find out that “some of the best moves that Kyle Reese has learned, he’s learned from machines.”
• More Machines Please – The director also says that the film will feature a lot of the machines that were only glimpsed in passing in previous films such as the Harvesters, Aerostats, and Hydrobots. Furthermore, he hinted that the Harvesters which “harvest” humans will play a prominent role in the film.
• The Ending Is A Cliffhanger – I don’t want to ruin anything for you but the director has already stated that the first film will end on a cliffhanger. I don’t think this is much of a surprise considering they’ve already planned three films.
• Full Trailer Coming In November – The full trailer to the film will be attached to the James Bond flick, Quantum Of Solace which hits theaters on November 7, 2008.

So what do you think? Does this news get you excited and make you want to see the film?

Terminator Salvation is written by John D. Brancato and Michael Ferris and directed by McG. It stars Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Moon Bloodgood, Common, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Helena Bonham Carter.