It’s been more than 25 years since Linda Hamilton was seen onscreen in the role of the fierce mother and fighter Sarah Connor, facing off against mortal robot enemies in 1991’s action blockbuster Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Now, the Hollywood Reporter shares that Hamilton will be returning to the James-Cameron-helmed franchise reboot alongside co-star Arnold Schwarzenegger, set to come out sometime in 2019.
Hamilton, who has kept up an acting career in the intervening decades, originated Connor’s iconic character in the 1984 first installment of the action series. But she (and then-husband Cameron) stepped away from the franchise for some of the sequel films. Now the original team is back together to tell the story of what takes place in the dystopian universe after the events of the 1991 movie.
“As meaningful as she was to gender and action stars everywhere back then, it’s going to make a huge statement to have that seasoned warrior that she’s become return,” Cameron said at a private event, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “There are 50-year-old, 60-year-old guys out there killing bad guys, but there isn’t an example of that for women.”
Recently, Cameron drew ire for his controversial comments about the Wonder Woman movie, statements contested by that film’s director Patty Jenkins. Wonder Woman — the first major superhero movie focused on a female star — made waves in the industry with its box office success and popularity, proving female action leads can be bankable for Hollywood after all.
Cameron is also signed up to work on a series of sequels for his futuristic and otherworldly Avatar franchise.