'Challenge? No, Not Really': Terminator Zero Creator Dissects New Series Amid Leaks

In a recent interview, Terminator Zero showrunner, Mattson Tomlin talks more about how the series is very different from the original Connors’ storyline.

By Levin Plassery

Published on Aug 24, 2024 | 02:45 PM IST | 440K

Terminator Zero [PC - YouTube - Netflix]

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Terminator Zero Anime Series

When someone mentions Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger immediately comes to mind. The new Terminator Zero anime aims to change this and provide a new perspective on the Terminator Universe. The show is being produced for Netflix and will be released on August 29, 2024, the same date as Judgement Day in Terminator 2.

The new series does not focus on John Connor, the leader of the human resistance, or his mother, Sarah Connor. Instead, it is set in Japan in the 1990s and follows Malcolm Lee, a scientist who is developing an AI system, similar to Skynet. As Judgement Day approaches, Malcolm and his family are targeted by an unknown robot assailant, but they are saved by a soldier from 2022.

In a recent interview with Polygon, showrunner Mattson Tomlin emphasizes why he felt the need to create a series, which did not focus on the Connors. “Was it a challenge? No, not really; I think that the movies have been doing the Connors for a long time, and in doing this show, I really wanted to respect the incredible artists that had worked on this franchise before me, and that’s going from the first movie all the way through the last movie,” said Tomlin.

Terminator Zero [PC - YouTube - Netflix]

Tomlin also says that he wanted the series to be different as it is the first animated movie from the franchise. He explains that since all the movies were set along US-Mexico borders, a change was much needed, as the original movies do not show much of what’s happening in other countries when the nukes are launched.

The showrunner also points out how the first two movies inspired the anime series. “And so I think, for Terminator Zero, it was important to make sure that we had killer robots, the nuclear apocalypse, and a family story that really had dramatic weight. That, for me, is what Terminator is,” said Tomlin, before concluding on how saving your family is the foundation for the series.

Recently, Netflix had a major security breach where the entire Terminator Zero Anime was leaked. The leaked episodes were of low quality, with watermarks and timestamps on them, which hint at them being production episodes. Other shows like Dandadan and Ranma ½ were also targeted by the security breach. Stay tuned for the latest updates on some of your Netflix favorites.

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