Facts About the Cast of Terminator Salvation

I've been a big fan of the Terminator saga since it began with the 1984 thriller masterpiece, The Terminator. Created by James Cameron, the Terminator saga has always been about how the choices we make in our lives determine our destinies. The 1984 film and the masterful sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day captured this message perfectly. This brings us to the one actor or should I say, actress, who is missing from the list below, Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor.

In the first film, Sarah was a fumbling waitress whose future was uncertain. She could find a good man, settle down and have kids for all we knew. But then, a man from the future came to her, told her that she would be the mother of John Connor. And, he told her how important Connor was to humanity. Sarah's entire life and destiny changed during the course of the film. By the end, we feel like she knows who she is and who she's going to be. The only question is where to next?

In Terminator 2, Sarah has found a place to hold up - many places in fact. She's a renegade. Because of everything she knows about the future, Sarah is insanely determined. She's also insanely strong for her 10-year-old son, John. The world around her means nothing to her. According to her, it's all going to turn into ash in the next few years anyway. The only thing important to Sarah is the life and welfare of her son. This makes Sarah Connor in Terminator 2 or T2 as it was later dubbed a very dangerous person, and one truly amazing and dynamic character to behold.

Sarah was the eyes, ears and soul of the Terminator saga throughout The Terminator and Terminator 2. In Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, they killed her character off before the first shot of the film. They threw Sarah Connor out of the story like a piece of garbage. Then, to top off that insult, the amateurish Terminator 3 filmmakers gave us a weak, child-like John Connor as played by Nick Stahl. No one in the theater could see Stahl's John as the savior of humanity.

As portrayed by the young, unexperienced Edward Furlong in T2, John was smart and tough enough to hold his own alongside his psychotic mother and the "good" Terminator as played for the 2nd time by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Nick Stahl almost ruined our belief in this rising hero and legend. In the new film, The Dark Knight star, Christian Bale is given the task of bringing credibility back to the character of John Connor. Hopefully, Bale's John will be the man we all imagined young Eddie Furlong would become. He's now the leader of the human resistance, even though the resistance is just getting off the ground, so to speak. The trials and tribulations John faces during the beginning of the war against the machines could be a difficult task for Bale to convey. But, I have faith that Bale was the most perfect choice for the role.

On May 21st, we shall see if the filmmakers behind Terminator Salvation can save this once great saga and help us remember how great a Terminator film can be. Until then, here is a list of actors and their characters in the film, so you're not lost when you go to see the movie.

Christian Bale - Born in Wales on January 30, 1974, Bale is best known for his role as Bruce Wayne / Batman in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. His father was a commercial pilot, his mother was an English circus clown. When he was only 8 years old, Christian got his start at in the world of acting in a fabric softener commercial for Lenor in 1982. In 1986, Steven Spielberg's wife at the time, Amy Irving co-starred with Bale in his film debut, Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna, a made-for-TV miniseries. She recommended Bale to Spielberg, and the legendary director gave the young Bale his first big break in The Empire of the Sun. From there, he did a few small but pivotal roles in movies like Little Women. Bale wasn't completely on the map, so to speak, until he played a homicidal yuppie in American Psycho. He got the role of Batman or Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins and became a superstar. In Terminator Salvation, Bale plays the future leader of the human resistance, John Connor in what I consider to be the most perfect role he's ever been given. From what I understand, Bale is a fan of the Terminator series and he even helped director, McG in the editing room after filming was completed.

Sam Worthington - Samuel Shane or Sam Worthington was born on August 2, 1976 in Perth, Western Australia. He was a relatively unknown actor until Terminator creator, James Cameron cast Worthington as his leading man in his 3D science-fiction film, Avatar due to be released in December. In fact, it's been speculated that Cameron recommended Sam to Terminator Salvation director, McG. Before all of this, this tough-looking young actor had only appeared in several Australian TV shows and a minor role in the horror film, Rogue. Because of his connection with Avatar, Worthington has got several big movie roles lined up, including the role of Perseus in Clash of the Titans. He's said to have been so grateful to James Cameron that he insisted McG stick to the original vision of the Terminator creator as opposed to what happened in that Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines wannabe. In Terminator Salvation, Worthington plays Marcus Wright, a half-human cyborg who doesn't seem to even know that he is a machine. Whether Marcus is for good or for evil, we won't know until the movie is released. Did you know that Worthington was actually considered for the role of James Bond in Casino Royale? Did you know that Christian Bale was originally considered for the role of Marcus Wright?

Anton Yelchin - Born on March 11, 1989 in Leningrad, USSR or should as it is called today, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation, Anton made several small appearances in such films as Along Came a Spider and Hearts in Atlantis. He got his big break as Charlie Bartlett in the movie of the same name. Anton was also cast in the role of Pavel Chekov in the new film version of Star Trek. In Terminator Salvage, he plays resistance soldier, Kyle Reese as a young man. Yelchin, inspired by Michael Biehn's first and only portrayal of the character in The Terminator wanted to make Reese an intense character, but not quite as focused as the 1984 Biehn performance. His character, afterall, hasn't joined the resistance yet. If you know the Terminator story, you should know that Anton's role is pivotal to the entire saga.

Bryce Dallas Howard - Daughter filmmaking legend, Ron Howard, Bryce was born on March 2, 1981 in Los Angeles, California. Her last name was inspired the place in which she was conceived oddly enough, Dallas, Texas. Bryce's godfather was Henry Winkler, who co-starred with Ron on Happy Days. You'd probably recognize her best from her roles in The Village, Lady in the Water and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3. She got her start on film in several of Ron Howard's films, including How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Did you know she attended Stagedoor Manor, a performing arts came in New York and became good friends with actress Natalie Portman? Bryce's role in Terminator Salvation seems simple enough, she plays the pregnant wife of John Connor, Kate. Odd casting, given Bryce's age difference with Bale if you ask me. But, Howard wanted to make the role - as previously portrayed by Claire Danes - her own. In Terminator Salvation, Kate Connor is a physician. Before, she was Kate Brewster, a simple, army brat veterinarian. Howard saw a lot of the third world in the post-apocalyptic environment of the Terminator saga.

More of the principle cast

Moon Bloodgood plays Blair Williams

Helena Bonham Carter plays Dr. Serena Kogan

Common plays Barnes