'Terminator Zero' embraces the horror of time-traveling killer robots in new Netflix series

NEW YORK — When it comes to dreaming up a new take on the "Terminator" sci-fi action franchise, Netflix has put the horror of killer robots from the future front and center.

The streaming service's new animated " Terminator Zero " series, which launches on Aug. 29 — Judgment Day in the franchise's death-by-Skynet lore — is very much an adult series that carves a new story into the intricate timeline of films that dates back to 1984's "The Terminator" directed by James Cameron.  (Check out our Terminator movies ranked list and Terminator streaming guide if you need a franchise refresher.)

The eight-episode series, led by showrunner Mattson Tomlin and director Masashi Kudō, and developed by Japan's Production I.G ("Ghost in a Shell"), Skydance TV and Netflix, takes place in 1997 in Tokyo, just before the artificial intelligence Skynet launches Judgment Day. It adds a new A.I. called Kokoro (voiced in English by Rosario Dawson) into the mix that may hold the key to humanity's fate in a war for survival. At the same time, a new Terminator assassin (Timothy Oliphant) and a human warrior from the future named Eiko (voiced by Sonoya Mizuno) are in a race to hunt down (or protect) Kokoro's creator, Malcolm Lee (voiced by André Holland), according to a series description .

"That first film, I saw it when I was 8 years old and it just scared the sh** out of me," Tomlin told a rapt audience here at Anime NYC 2024 during an advance premiere of the show's first two episodes. (The audience joyfully clapped out the iconic Terminator theme from Cameron's "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" sequel.) "That first movie was a horror movie. It really captivated me, so wanting to put a foot back and capture that tone was very important to me."

The horror feel of "The Terminator" also resonated with series director Kudō, who said through a translator that the "sense of horror" in the original Terminator was what really captivated his interest in the Netflix/Production I.G. project. After all, he's always wanted to direct a horror film.

"I'm absolutely excited to be part of the franchise," Kudō said.

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One key difference in the new series is the Terminator itself. Gone is the super-huge Arnold Schwarzenegger bodybuilder robot that stands out like a sore thumb in a crowd. Instead, the new Terminator dons a business suit (as seen in trailers) to blend in to Japanese society even as it hunts down its target in the past.

"T-800 is the basis on the Terminator side, but what we did do is adapt it so that these Terminators are able to blend into the Japanese civilization," said production design coordinator Haruka Watanabe through a translator. "So those design elements had to be adjusted to make sure that there's realism that it can integrate into the Japanese civilization."

"Terminator Zero's" domestic robots, of which there are many, also didn't escape the uncanny valley, despite being inspired by Honda's famed Asimo .

"We had an early request from the director to make it cute, but creepy, something that's a little bit uncomfortable to look at," Watanabe said. "And so, although we see a humanoid form, we made sure that something was not quite human in adding a little bit of awkwardness and discomfort to really make sure that you get that sense of really deep-rooted fear that something's not right about this form."

Even the would-be human protector of "Terminator Zero" has questionable motives, showrunners said.

"Eiko's objective above all else is to prevent Judgement Day, and if that involves protecting Malcolm, fine. If it involves killing Malcolm, fine. If that involves making sure that Kokoro doesn't come online, fine," Tomlin said. "It is less of a straight path than you've seen in some of the Terminator films, where it's simply Terminator trying to kill this person."

"Terminator Zero" launches on Netflix on Aug. 29.