'Terminator 5' Rumor: The Rock as a Terminator Versus Schwarzenegger as a Human; 1940s or 1950s Setting

OK, so I wasn't originally planning on passing along this Terminator 5 rumor, but after listening to some guy tell tell his friend this rumor as if it were Gospel fact while waiting for World War Z to start last night, I figured it wouldn't hurt to pass it along while clarifying that it's just a rumor.

According to an article posted under the WWE verticle on Examiner.com way back on June 7 (not sure why this is just getting buzz now), Annapurna Films is working on a version of the Terminator 5 script that would feature Arnold Schwarzenegger playing a man who must save Sarah Connor's parents from being killed by a Terminator played by Dwayne Johnson. The story would be set in either the 1940s or 1950s, making the movie a prequel to James Cameron's original series. The article says that watching Schwarzenegger's character defend the Connors "with antiquated weaponry by today's standards" would inspire "the machines to develop a terminator in his likeness that was eventually sent to 1984 when Sarah Connor was first targeted for termination."

While this is an interesting concept, this is pure rumor. The Examiner article even says the story is "purely speculation." Would I be surprised if Johnson wound up in the new Terminator movie? Not really. Thanks to the box office success of G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Pain and Gain and Fast and Furious 6, Johnson has rightfully earned the reputation of being a franchise savior. Honestly, I wouldn't even be shocked if he got his wish and was cast in Star Wars: Episode VII.

Beyond Johnson's popularity, having Schwarzenegger play a human would also make a ton more sense than asking the audience to believe that Skynet sent a Terminator disguised as a elderly man in time to kill the Connor family.