Bale to segue from "Dark Knight" to "Terminator"

Cast member Christian Bale attends the premiere of ''3:10 to Yuma'' at the Mann National theatre in Westwood, California August 21, 2007. Bale is in negotiations to star in ''Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins,'' the fourth installment of the hit science fiction series.

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Christian Bale is in negotiations to star in "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins," the fourth installment of the hit science fiction series.

McG ("Charlie's Angels," "We Are Marshall") is directing the movie, which will be distributed by Warner Bros.

The series, which originated with filmmaker James Cameron and made Arnold Schwarzenegger a star, centered on a robot from the future, when machines wage war against humanity, whose goal was to kill Sarah Connor, the mother of the future leader of the human resistance. As the movies progressed, the son, played by Edward Furlong in "T2" and Nick Stahl in "T3," took a more prominent role.

"T4's" story, by David Campbell Wilson, John Brancato and Michael Ferris, focuses on John Connor, now in his 30s, as he leads what is left of the human race against the machines.

Bale, who appeared this year in "3:10 to Yuma," "Rescue Dawn" and "I'm Not There," is currently filming Warner's "Batman Begins" sequel, "The Dark Knight."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter