SET VISIT PREVIEW: Behind the Scenes of McG's Terminator Salvation!

"Here is one of the defining characteristics of this film: What is John Conner's role in the future? This is the story of him becoming the leader of the resistance. We literally come into this film wondering, 'Is this the John Conner?' You realize he's not the one calling the shots. He came out of the hole three years after the radiation cleared with some other survivors only to hear, 'I've got twenty years in the Marines. Get the fuck in line. I'm not going to hear about your mystic Cleo bullshit. We're at war!' You realize that Conner has to struggle. Through the body of the story, we will see how his fate is achieved. And how he becomes the leader of the resistance. I don't think anybody knows about that. I think this is the first time its been articulated. And that could be fucking dangerous. That's why I signed up. I didn't want to see Conner jump out and go, 'I'm John Conner. This is what I am destined to do!' No, I want to see him come out of the hole and have to struggle. Conner is eventually proven right and vindicated throughout the course of this movie. That could be heresy. To me, its one of the most exciting parts about making this movie."

These words came from a very impassioned McG on the New Mexico set of his latest feature film Terminator Salvation. The story picks up three years after the end of Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines, which saw John Conner and his future wife Kate hiding away inside a bunker just as a hail storm of nuclear missiles destroyed the United States. McG's film is set to rejuvenate this dormant franchise with a boost of unexpected energy. His plan is to show us exactly how John Conner came to lead the resistance. Set in post-apocalyptic 2018, Connor is a man fated to do battle against Skynet and its army of Terminators. But the future Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright, a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet's operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind.

With an all-star cast, you just know that McG is cooking up something quite special with this fourth film. Stepping into the shoes of John Conner is The Dark Knight himself, Christian Bale. Anton Yelchin will play his father, the young Kyle Reese. Sam Worthington is Marcus Wright, a half man, half Terminator. And Bryce Dallas Howard will be appearing as Kate Connor. New character additions to the film include Blair Williams, played by Moon Bloodgood, resistance fighter Barnes played by Common, and Helena Bonham Carter will be appearing as Serena.

Earlier this summer, in the middle of a heat wave, we were ushered out to the desert to watch McG work a little bit of his magic. We can't say too much about the experience at this point in time. Though, we were treated to about eight minutes of footage from the film and I must say, McG has one heck of a sound system built into his Airstream. The film, at this point, with little to no CGI effects added, looks exceptionally good. It is gritty, and dark. There's nudity. And we should see some fairly gory moments. McG certainly seems headed in the right direction, and I doubt many hardcore fans will be disappointed when Terminator Salvation finally shows itself on May 22nd of 2009. According to McG, he is not aiming to make a PG-13 or an R rated film. He's simply making the film he wants to make, and he will let the ratings board decide exactly what kind of film it is.

Coming soon, we will have an in-depth report on what exactly we saw out in the desert. At this moment, most of that information is still classified. While in New Mexico, we held three different, very lengthy chats with McG about his film. We also held court with actors Anton Yelchin, Moon Bloodgood, and Bryce Dallas Howard. Those interviews will be appearing here before the film's initial release date. Along the way, we will also report on the copious amounts of artwork we saw from the film, along with a dissertation on the wardrobe that is being utilized.

You won't want to miss the bulk of our future report, as we were also on hand for the filming of one of the most important scenes in the film. That's right. We stood by while McG called the shots during one long take through junkyard rubble that culminates in a confrontation with the T600 Terminator himself. A truck smashed through a wall. That's all I'm allowed to say. Oh, and about that pesky Arnold Schwarzenegger rumor? I can tell you, we were shown a T800 skull from the film. And it still sports Arnold's famous gap tooth smile. Take that for what its worth.

Terminator Salvation will smash your face May 22nd, 2009.