By Luis Reyes
The Terminator franchise, always has an eye towards the future and there is certainly no future without Latinos and this franchise knows it. In two of the most pivotal roles in Terminator: Dark Fate, rising star Gabriel Luna is the new unstoppable Terminator Model Rev-9 sent from the future to kill Dani Ramos, the future leader of the human resistance who is played by newcomer Natalia Reyes. The audience is loving it to the tune of $29 million and topping the weekend’s boxoffice list at #1!
Luna and Reyes have the star power of one of the first Badass women in film Linda Hamilton who returns as Sarah Connor. At 64 years of age, she puts some 40-year-olds to shame. The original Terminator Arnold Schwarzenegger, also makes a comeback and the film is all four of theirs to own.
The movie is partly set in a devastated Mexico City of the future and it brings in three Latinx actors to help usher in the new Terminator franchise era.
Luna’s Terminator rarely speaks and his presence is intended to instill fear and be a real threat to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator-T800. The 36-year-old Luna has an on screen knockdown, drag on-fight with the 72-year-old original Terminator star Schwarzenegger who is a formidable foe.
A native of Austin, Texas, Luna is best known as Robbie Reyes, the Ghost Rider in the Agents of Shield TV series and as Tony Bravo in the El Rey series Matador.
The movie also stars Linda Hamilton returning to the sixth film in the action franchise from the original Terminator2 as Sarah Connor. Hamilton and director Tim Miller cast Reyes, a young Columbian actress with extensive film and television work in Latin America for the key role of Dani as it echoed Connor’s own story.
The other Badass female role goes to Mackenzie Davis (Blade Runner 2049). Together the three lead actresses were invincible. “Natalia, Mackenzie, and I formed a really amazing triangle and if one of us would have been weak, the whole thing would have come tumbling down,” Hamilton explained.
In a recent interview with EW, Reyes remarked about the film, “I love that it just shows diversity without really trying. And I think that is actually different to what we are seeing around; it’s showing the world as it is, and it makes me really proud of the movie.”
Mexican actor Diego Boneta co-stars as Miguel Ramos. Boneta appeared in the film Rock of Ages and in the Luis Miguel biographical Spanish language limited series about one of Mexico’s most iconic singer, which aired on Telemundo.