Orphan Black’s Tatiana Maslany Could Play Sarah Connor In Terminator Five
Though it can be fun to speculate about who is going to appear in hotly anticipated movies, as an entity, casting rumors are generally tedious and annoying, not to mention pointless. All we can do is discuss potential merits and pitfalls in a hypothetical vacuum, and that gets old quick. This one, however, is admittedly pretty cool, and better still, has nothing whatsoever to do with Star Wars. It looks like Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany may be up for the role of Sarah Connor in Terminator 5.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Maslany is one of three actresses who have tested for the role. Director Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World) reportedly wants to cast the female roles before he turns his attention to the boys. The other two are Brie Larson (Short Term 12, 21 Jump Street) and Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones), both names we’ve already heard in connection to this part. Of these options—of course there are always more in Hollywood—Maslany seems like the best choice. Larson is a fantastic actress, and I don’t doubt that she would give the character a rich emotional depth, but when you think of the badass side of Sarah Connor, she might just be a little too cute to pull it off convincingly. On the other hand, Clarke has the tough warrior thing down, but she always comes off as flat otherwise.
If you haven’t watched Orphan Black yet, you should rectify that situation immediately. Not only is it a tense sci-fi thriller, but watching Maslany bounce back and forth between half a dozen characters, all with distinct personalities, accents, and mannerisms, might just scramble your brain. On top of that, she can pull off emotional and vulnerable, and will kick the living hell out of you. Watching her play Sarah Conner could be a great deal of fun. It shouldn’t come as any surprise that her name is mentioned in this conversation. You can’t do what does week after week, as well as she does it, and not have your name bandied about in contention for big roles like this. She didn’t even have to resort to wearing a fat suit like Eddie Murphy.
What does the age of these potential actresses say about Terminator 5? If Sarah Connor is in her mid-twenties, does this mean that the film takes place in the mid-1980s? Linda Hamilton, as well as Michael Biehn, stars of James Cameron’s 1985 original, have both been linked to the new film, and talk has centered around the two reprising their roles. This could indicate that T5 might jump around in time, which could be a fun little adventure. The time travel rumor has been a persistent one, and multiple incarnations of the characters could very well indicate that.
All that really matters, however, is that Arnold Schwarzenegger is back. Throw some sunglasses and a leather jacket on that guy and I’ll watch him do damn near anything.
Orphan Black returns on BBC American on April 19, 2014.
