The next trilogy of Terminator films has been on the table for a while, but Warner Bros. has officially announced Terminator 4, which has been given the utterly ludicrous title Terminator Salvation.

“After the drastic effects of Terminator 3, the story continues as John Connor and soon to be wife Kate Brewster begin the creation of a resistance organization with Earth’s remaining survivors against the army of cyborgs slowly being built up by Skynet. As they are building this resistance, one survivor happens to be a traitor in disguise, and has a secret that nobody would ever come to suspect. “

Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins is the upcoming 2009 fourth installment to the Terminator film series, written by David Campbell Wilson, John Brancato, and Michael Ferris, directed by McG, and starring Christian Bale as John Connor. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, and Claire Danes will not be returning. Shooting of the film is expected to start on April 21, 2008 in Budapest.

On May 9, 2007, it was announced that rights to the Terminator series had passed hands from producers Andrew G. Vajna and Mario Kassar to the Halcyon Company, a privately funded company formed by entrepreneurs Victor Kubicek and Derek Anderson. In the Variety article detailing the purchase, it states the fourth film is now earmarked for a summer 2009 release and will focus on a 30-year old John Connor in what the producers hope will be a new trilogy. Series creator James Cameron is currently not involved with the project. Variety also mentioned that Warner Bros. has McG prepping the film.

On July 19, 2007, it was revealed that the Terminator 4 project is currently in legal limbo due to a lawsuit between MGM and Halcyon subsidiary T Asset. According to the article, MGM has an exclusive window of 30 days to negotiate for distribution of the Terminator films. When negotiating for Terminator 4, Halcyon rejected their initial proposal, and MGM suspended negotiations. After the 30 days were over, MGM claimed that the period during which negotiations were suspended did not count and their exclusive period is still open. Halcyon is now asking a court for an injunction allowing them to approach other distributors.

The plot and storyline of the film takes place after the events of T3 around 2014 and focuses mainly on the war between man and Skynet in the post-apocalyptic world. John Connor will continue to be the central character along with a new character named Marcus, who will have “equal presence.” However, other sources say that the film will instead focus on Marcus. James Middleton, the associate producer of the film, stated that “It’s really about the birth of a new hero.”