At the Terminator Salvation Comic Con panel, McG effused about many of the film’s details. Here are some of the more interesting tidbits:

1. PG-13 Rating Rumors Debunked - At both the panel and the press conference, McG removed any doubts that he was under pressure to deliver a PG-13 rating for the film. Referring to the studio executives for this film, McG explained “I’ve been given their blessing to make the picture…and if it’s a rated R picture, then that’s that.” He elaborated that he’s not against the idea of a PG-13 rating, but that the ultimate rating will depend completely upon what the final vision for the film is.

2. 2018, and the Kyle Reese Backstory Explained - The film will take place in 2018, the first Terminator movie set exclusively post-Judgment Day. It will have aspects of war films, as the humans unite to battle Skynet (which will also be featured). A lot of attention will be given to the T-600s, less advanced versions of the T-800 (the terminator model that Arnold played in the first three films). Given the complex, interweaving, and conflicting timelines in the collective Terminator films and The Sarah Connor Chronicles, McG has opted not to adhere too strictly to the mythology established in these works, but has worked on maintaining the vision of the first films, Cameron’s in particular.

Furthermore, we’ll see how Kyle Reese developed as a young man. We will find out the genesis of some of Reese’s best lines, and also find out that “some of the best moves that Kyle Reese has learned, he’s learned from machines.”

3. Harvesters, Aerostats, and Hydrobots, Oh My! - According to McG, the film will feature the machines that were visible in quick, passing shots in previous Terminator films. In particular, McG suggested that the Harvesters will apparently play a prominent, Matrix-like role, gigantic machines that are “stomping through the future, harvesting people.”

4. Film Treatment Will Be Silver to the Extreme - The movie was filmed with color stock but will be treated with as much silver as a typical black and white film, about 3x as much as normal. This gives the film an ethereal quality that suggests something is visually “off.” McG explained that he took some inspiration for the film from Children of Men, and based on what I’ve seen so far (which is extremely limited), this sounds quite plausible.

5. The film will end on a cliffhanger - McG confirmed that the film will end on a cliffhanger at the Salvation press conference.