John Connor Was Originally A Terminator 4 Supporting Character

According to Christian Bale, his Terminator Salvation role originally only had him on set for one short week. Bale shared how he fleshed out John Connor's storyline. Also, the studio released 59 stunning Terminator pics.

Check out Warner Bros.' official treasure trove of high-res photos from the movie, including robot mayhem and Christian Bale and Sam Worthington fighting their way through a post-apocalyptic wasteland. (More pics at the bottom):

It turns out Bale wasn't originally in line to play John Connor at all. At the Terminator Salvation press round table this weekend, we found out from the movie's director that Bale was originally pitched the role of Marcus, played by Sam Worthington.

McG casually told us when discussing changes made to the original script:

"What can you do when you go to Christian Bale, and say, 'Hey, Christian we want you to play Marcus,' and he says, "I want to play Connor." You say, 'Maybe we need to go back and make his a little bit more of a two-header.' [referring to both Sam and Christian in the picture]. Listen, film-making is about being able to adapt and doing what's right. You never stop working on the script, and you never stop working on the film. My style is the style of doing a great deal of listening... I did a great deal of listening to amend the picture to what it is today. It's an ongoing process, but at the end of the day, these guys put forth the reason were all here [addressing the film's screenwriters].

Later we got to ask Christian about that same thing at the junket.

Can you talk about why you wanted to do John Connor rather than Marcus when they offered you this movie?

I can't really remember why, why the difference between those two characters in that choice. I'd read it in a few places that people said that I was unhappy with the original script. And I wasn't the only one. Everybody was saying that there needed to be changes made to it. Connor was a character who appeared very, very briefly in the original [Salvation script]. Which I was happy to do, if the story could become something worthy of reviving this mythology. However, we had a few writers, because of the whole situation with the writer's strike, and coming off of that. But we were very lucky for the short time that he was able to work on it, that my friend, Jonah Nolan, came in.

And Jonah said to me, "Christian, do you want me to write this with the same involvement that Connor has in the original one, or do you want me to increase you?" And I said, "I don't mind what you do, just whatever the best story is. And I don't want to work for one week." Which was originally all I was meant to do, "on a movie that has no chance." So I said, "just do whatever it is you need to do, whatever makes the best story, bring it to me after, and we'll work it out." I think it was true, he couldn't find a way that made sense and that also gave a connection to the previous movies, without having Connor involved more than was in that original [screenplay].

These movies are so much about the dangers of modern technology. What technology that you see now do you find a little bit frightening?

The photo downloads where it will tell you where every single picture [was taken], you know? Down to every damn street, it feels very Big Brother. It's fascinating, but it's very Big Brother as well. Hmm, the whole security systems, where people have all the cameras set up in their homes. I'm convinced that there is somebody watching and listening, the entire time. Things like that — what's it called — GM has something like that, On Star? You can press a button and you can speak with somebody and they can hear you. Oh yeah, like they're not listening in an awful lot, just to get that.

Do you remember the first time you saw Terminator?

The first time I saw the first movie, which would have been a number of years after it got released, it was fun. It was something that had a strong impact. But when I was 17 and I just came out to the states, I went to see T2, and that was very memorable. It was opening weekend, I couldn't hear a damn thing that was said in the movie because everybody was screaming so much, throughout it. So it was an introduction to American audiences but also to a movie that seemed to just make everybody crazy in that way. I really enjoyed that. The idea of doing another one didn't seem to be smart, to me. There are no other similarities between the movies, and I don't mean to compare, I don't like to compare. But it's seen that way with the initial idea of reviving the Batman movies. And even though they're very different sensibilities, I came to believe that there were some potentially good stories here. I enjoyed it enough that I would like to see it revived.

Are you an Arnold fan?

I think that it's always admirable when you're the originator. Of course he's had many imitators and we've sort of moved on now from the 80s, and big beefy guys. But he was the first, and so hats off to him. You look at what that guy's achieved, its a phenomenon. [SPOILER] So yeah absolutely I get a thrill seeing the scene where Connor faces off against the original T-800. [Spoiler ends here]

If you had to be stranded on an island with either John Connor or Batman, who would it be?

I wouldn't want to be stranded with either — they're men.

If you had to pick one?

I don't have to pick one, does either of them have a gun? Shoot one of them, and then I'm much happier. I don't think they're good guys for hanging out with on a beach.

Do you think Chris Nolan might come around to doing it [another Batman] after his next movie?

I've learned my lesson there. I don't mention anything until Chris has mentioned it first.

Catch Terminator Salvation in theaters on May 21st. Meanwhile, here are some more killer photos: