It's been nearly 30 years since Edward Furlong played the role of John Conner in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Considering how far a field the franchise had gone since then, it was a shock to a lot of people when it was revealed during this year's San Diego Comic-Con that Furlong would be back in the role in the upcoming Terminator: Dark Fate.
Recently, much of the cast of several Terminator movies came together for a panel at Silicon Valley Comic Con. During the Q&A, TheArnoldFans.com asked Furlong about his return to the franchise. While, unsurprisingly, the actor was required to stay quiet about the role, it was clear from his response that he is excited to return. According to Furlong...
I’m not allowed to say anything, but yeah, yeah man, I mean it’s a small role but it’s, you know, I’m in there, man! I’m in there. I’m glad to be back on it, I’m really, really happy to be doing it.
It's not too surprising if the John Conner role in Terminator: Dark Fate isn't that big. None of the trailers revealed the return, and clearly the focus will be on other characters.
Needless to say, the news that Edward Furlong was returning to the Terminator franchise was a shock for everybody. While we knew that Linda Hamilton would be back in Terminator: Dark Fate, there was no indication of how John Conner would be handled, or if he would even be in the movie. And considering John Conner has been played by several different actors throughout the franchise, there was no reason to believe that, even if John Conner was in the movie, he'd even be played by anybody who had the role previously.
And, of course, Edward Furlong returning seemed like the longest shot of all. While Terminator: Dark Fate will use the Halloween gambit and discount all sequels beyond Terminator 2, Furlong has had a very public battle with drugs which has resulted in numerous problems with the law. Such things made his return in a major blockbuster reasonably unlikely.
Furlong has been pretty open about the fact that his issues with drugs resulted in him not returning for Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, but he's been working to clean himself up, and so the chance to come back to the Terminator franchise and fix the mistake he made feels like evidence that he is succeeding.
It was like a blessing man. I was very excited you know, like really, uh, yeah I was trying to turn my life around at that point – so I mean it was uh, it was kinda a good call to get, you know? It kinda felt like a gift from all that you know, plus I was supposed to do the other Terminator but I done fucked that shit up, So I gotta tell you, I was proud.
Edward Furlong is certainly glad to be back and many fans are probably glad to have him back. We'll see what the future holds for John Conner when Terminator: Dark fate arrives in theaters November 1.
