James Cameron's 'Terminator' Reboot Finds Its Star With Colombian Discovery

Natalia Reyes has been cast after a lengthy search to find a Latina actress to lead the film.


Colombian actress Natalia Reyes has nabbed the starring role in the Terminator reboot.


Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger are returning to the fold while Blade Runner 2049 actress Mackenzie Davis is one of the new star additions to the sci-fi action project from Paramount and Skydance. Gabriel Luna, who is known for playing Ghost Rider on ABC's Agents of SHIELD, also has been cast in the film, as well as Mexican-born Diego Boneto, known for his work in Scream Queens.


But the main role in the new Terminator is that of Dani, a young woman from a working class neighborhood in Mexico City who finds herself in the battle between humans and machines.


Luna will play a Terminator robot while Boneta will play Dani's brother. Davis is an soldier-assassin from the future.


Hamilton and Schwarzenegger are reprising their roles, but sources say that their parts are relatively brief.


Skydance and filmmakers Tim Miller and James Cameron, directing and producing respectively, made a concerted effort to find a Latina actress and someone who they considered a "discovery," in the similar way Cameron did with Hamilton when he cast the young actress in his 1984 movie.


They came close a couple of times in the last few months, but no cigar. Several weeks ago it was decided to broaden the search to central and South America, with seven actresses picked to screen test.


Reyes appeared in children's programs in Colombia and has starred in two noteworthy Spanish-speaking series, Cumbia Ninja and Lady, the Seller of Roses (Lady, La Vendedora de Rosas). But what some sources say was the clincher was her work in Birds of Passage, the new film from Colombian filmmaker Ciro Guerra. Reyes is the lead of the film and buzz has the film heading for a debut at this year's Cannes Film Festival.


The cast is expected to begin training later in April with an eye toward a May production start.


The film opens Nov. 22, 2019. Paramount will distribute domestically while Fox releases the film internationally.


Reyes is repped by Vision Entertainment in the US and Maria Clara Lopez in Colombia.