Longtime fans of the Terminator franchise were in for quite the surprise on Thursday during the opening media panel of San Deigo Comic-Con 2019.
Not only did Tim Miller (Deadpool), director of the franchise’s upcoming film, Terminator: Dark Fate, take the stage to share details on the highly anticipated flick, but Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton joined him as a surprise too.
The duo will be appearing onscreen together for the first time since 1991 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The veteran actors will be reprising their hugely popular roles as T-800 and Sarah Connor respectively.
Better yet, director of the first two Terminator films, James Cameron, introduced the panel, confirming that he would return as the producer.
Cameron, 64, was broadcast on-screen and shown to be working on the set of the upcoming and highly anticipated sequels to Avatar (2009). Furthermore, he revealed that Edward Furlong would be reprising the role of John Connor.
That’s right. After nearly three decades, and various other actors filling in to portray the popular Sci-Fi character, Furlong, now 41, is set to reclaim his throne as the troubled son of Sarah Connor.
READ MORE: ‘It Chapter Two’ trailer: Pennywise the Clown ups the brutality
Though the reveal left many fans in shock, Furlong himself was not present at the panel.
That didn’t stop the buzz, however. A large number of dedicated Terminator fans took to Twitter to share their excitement surrounding the revelation.
Here’s what some users had to say:
“#TerminatorDarkFate #EdwardFurlong back as John Connor… f**king love this,” wrote one user.
READ MORE: ‘Game of Thrones’ star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau defends show’s final season
Miller later revealed that the sixth Terminator film will be returning to the roots of Cameron’s gritty originals, adding that it will be R-rated.
“The fans kind of demanded it,” Miller said, according to Variety. “The DNA of Terminator is an R-rated f**king movie.”
WATCH: ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ official teaser trailer
Although the upcoming film follows 2015’s Terminator: Genisys, it does not pick up where it left off. In fact, now that James Cameron (The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day) is back, Dark Fate will be a direct sequel to the franchise’s first two films.
READ MORE: ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ trailer: Linda Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger reunite and return
Schwarzenegger, 71, has appeared in five of the six films, excluding Terminator: Salvation (2009) — which featured a very questionable CGI model of the actor — whereas Hamilton, 62, only appeared in the first two.
—
Terminator: Dark Fate hits cinemas across North America on Nov. 1.