Skydance Media, LLC (“Skydance”) and Tencent Pictures, the film and television arm of Chinese Internet giant Tencent Holdings Limited (“Tencent”), announced today that Tencent will co-finance as a global partner the upcoming Terminator film directed by Tim Miller and produced by James Cameron and David Ellison. Under the pact, Tencent will also handle the distribution, marketing and merchandising of the film in China. This is the first collaboration between the two companies since they entered into a partnership, with Tencent making a strategic investment in Skydance Media.
“We are thrilled Terminator will be our first collaboration with Tencent, and we believe that partnering this early in the process, prior to production, will allow both companies to fully maximize the opportunity,” said Jesse Sisgold, Skydance Media President & COO. “This franchise is hugely popular with Chinese audiences and will greatly benefit from the massive reach and valuable know-how Tencent has in marketing, distribution, games, and more.”
“We are truly excited to be partnering with Skydance on the newest chapter of this iconic franchise. With Skydance’s savvy production expertise and impeccable taste in talent, along with Tencent’s tremendous marketing and distribution capabilities in China, we believe the success of Terminator will serve as a benchmark for future collaborations,” said Edward Cheng, Vice President of Tencent and CEO of Tencent Pictures.
The upcoming Terminator movie will be a direct sequel to Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton, both reprising their iconic roles as “The Terminator” and “Sarah Connor” from the first two Terminator films. The new story will introduce the next generation of characters played by rising stars Mackenzie Davis (Blade Runner 2049, “Halt and Catch Fire”), Natalia Reyes (“Lady, La Vendedora de Rosas”), Diego Boneta (“Scream Queens,” Rock of Ages), and Gabriel Luna (“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”) Specific details on the characters are being kept under wraps.
Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox are also co-financing the film, which is scheduled for U.S. release the Friday before Thanksgiving on November 22, 2019. The movie will be distributed domestically by Paramount Pictures and internationally (excluding China) by 20th Century Fox.
