The Halcyon Co. has purchased rights to the Terminator franchise and plans on launching a new trilogy of films without Arnold Schwarzenegger or James Cameron.

Terminator 4 (scripted by T3 scribes John Brancato and Michael Ferris) is being primed for a Summer 2009 release. The new owners want to reinvent the franchise with an entirely new cast. All we know about the story is that it will follow 30-comething year old John Connor, as he leads the human vs. machine war.

“With ‘T3,’ we included many incidental details and plot points that, along with the main narrative, set the stage for an entirely new set of interrelated stories covering the future adventures of John Connor and the Terminators,” Borman told Variety. “This new Terminator trilogy will build upon the already huge worldwide Terminator fan base.”

The promise of a robot vs. human war is definitely enough to sustain one movie, but how about three? And wasn’t the real draw of the Terminator films Arnold and Cameron’s innovative effects? Sure, T3 made over $430 million worldwide without Cameron, but the overall feeling was that the film was subpar. Will people even buy a ticket for a non-Arnold Terminator flick? This whole idea sounds like one of those new age direct-to-DVD sequels/spin-offs. But if they need to replace Arnold, my vote goes to The Rock and definitely not Gerard Butler.