Of all the revitalized action/adventure film series returning to theaters in 2015, including Jurassic World and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the buzz surrounding Alan Taylor’s Terminator: Genisys seems to be the least positive. Following a report that the film could “kill the franchise,” fans and critics alike had a poor reaction to the Entertainment Weekly covers for Terminator: Genisys.

However, while the newer cast – Jai Courtney, Emilia Clarke, Jason Clarke, and Matt Smith – have been primarily featured in promotional images, fans may be most anticipating the return of Terminator’s original star, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Though he has appeared alongside Genisys castmates in promo photos, we now have a first look at Schwarzenegger as a (much older) T-800 robot.

The Arnold Fans, a fansite for the actor, released an image that is supposedly a photo taken of a poster inside Paramount Studios – “in a dark corner of the studio” – by some German bloggers on a tour. The image shows Schwarzenegger with some facial injuries and metal revealed below the skin.


Previous images for Terminator: Genisys have managed to distance the film from the original with their futuristic look and feel, which works for the upcoming installment taking place in 2029 rather than 1984. However, this new image of Schwarzenegger feels more like a call back to the original Terminator posters, which featured the actor alone in front of a black background.

Though we haven’t seen this much similarity between Genisys and Terminator within the film’s promotional photos thus far, storyboard images from the upcoming movie seem to depict the war between humans and cyborgs referenced in James Cameron’s original. Whether or not other aspects of Terminator: Genisys will feature similarities between the original, though, remains to be seen until more from the film is released.

Additionally, though viewers may hope for more references to the original Terminator in the upcoming Terminator: Genisys, it may be more important to the filmmakers to create an intriguing and engaging new story rather than attempt (again) to recapture what fans loved about Cameron’s movie. Hopefully, Taylor has managed to strike a balance that will please fans and casual moviegoers alike.

Is the image of Schwarzenegger the perfect callback to the original or misleading to the tone of Terminator: Genisys? Sound off in the comments!

Terminator: Genisys opens in theaters July 1st, 2015.