The battle against a relentless AI takes center stage in the thrilling first trailer for “Terminator Zero,” Netflix’s upcoming animated reboot of the iconic franchise. “This isn’t what you think it is. You can’t see it yet. But you’ve been on a collision course your entire life. There is no going back. Not really. It will never…never…stop,” warns the voiceover by resistance fighter Eiko, portrayed by Sonoya Mizuno.
Produced by renowned Japanese animation studio Production IG, known for “Ghost in the Shell,” this eight-episode series will delve into the Terminator universe with a fresh set of characters. It marks the franchise’s first venture into animation.
Slated for an August 29 premiere on Netflix, “Terminator Zero” unfolds across two pivotal timelines. In 2022, a future war between humanity’s survivors and an army of machines has raged for decades. Meanwhile, in 1997, the AI known as Skynet gains self-awareness and begins its war against humanity.
Eiko, a soldier from the future, is sent back to 1997 to protect Malcolm Lee (André Holland), a scientist developing a new AI system (voiced by Rosario Dawson) intended to counter Skynet’s looming threat. As Malcolm grapples with the ethical implications of his creation, he faces relentless pursuit from a future assassin, altering the destinies of his three children, according to Netflix’s synopsis.
Created by Mattson Tomlin, a writer on “The Batman II,” who also serves as showrunner, the series features executive producers David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Don Granger from Skydance. Masashi Kudo directs, with Production IG providing the animation.
In the newly released trailer, set in Japan, Eiko (Mizuno) emerges as the protagonist, a resistance fighter sent to protect Malcolm Lee (Holland) as he creates Kokoro, an advanced AI designed to challenge Skynet. “There’s only one thing standing between you and him… Me!” Mizuno’s Eiko declares, as she confronts a menacing cyborg assassin from the future.
The voice cast includes Timothy Olyphant as the Terminator, Rosario Dawson as Kokoro, and Ann Dowd as The Prophet, a philosophical guide aiding the human resistance.
“Terminator Zero,” debuting on the symbolic “Judgment Day,” August 29, will launch alongside Amazon Prime Video’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.”
Watch the trailer below.