‘Terminator Zero’ Creator Mattson Tomlin Found Peace Making a Show About an AI War

In nearly every iteration of The Terminator series, a solitary savior is dispatched to aid someone when they are most vulnerable. Just like one of those saviors, Terminator Zero entered Mattson Tomlin's life precisely when he needed assistance the most.

Tomlin had recently worked his way up the ranks in Hollywood as a successful screenwriter, with projects like Project Power and Little Fish receiving positive feedback. He was in high demand, with multiple studios hiring him for various projects. Notably, he was invited by Matt Reeves to collaborate on The Batman script and was also supported in his directorial debut, Mother/Android.

It was a rapid ascent, and it was all occurring before Tomlin reached the age of 30.

However, when the author began writing Terminator Zero in the summer of 2021, he confesses that he was feeling confused and uncertain. Just a year prior, a WGA arbitration ruled that he would not receive recognition for his work on The Batman. While he understood this was common in the industry – he had joined the project late and was informed upfront that credit was unlikely – it still stung. This experience led him to a familiar place for many artists, a place of self-doubt and negativity.

While working on Terminator Zero, he worried that he had reached the highest point of his career, and he would only be remembered for his small role in a Batman film.

Tomlin expressed that he was overwhelmed by frightening thoughts and feelings of imposter syndrome.

Despite his uncertainties, he focused on creating the anime Terminator Zero by writing an episode roughly every ten days. Skydance, Netflix, and Production I.G did not set any specific guidelines for him, so he was able to freely develop a story centered around three siblings. The decision to place the setting in Japan was deliberate, as the majority of the team, including director Masashi Kudō, would be Japanese.

The outcome is a unique version of Terminator, not only because it is in animation form, but also due to its cultural focus. It exists in two different time periods. In 1997, three siblings must escape from a Terminator sent to find them and their scientist father, who is responsible for creating an AI intended to battle against Skynet and save humanity. In 2022, a group of humans are fighting against machines in a world that has been devastated by an apocalypse.

After three years since that summer of writing, the series premiered on Netflix on August 29 and received a perfect score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Tomlin intends to create additional seasons if the show is picked up for renewal.

"It's a story about three children as they age during the war, which changes into a futuristic war. The way they interact with humans and machines will be unique and varied," Tomlin explains.

He has also overcome the biggest concerns he had during the summer of 2021 (well, as much as any writer can). He's now working on The Batman Part II, beginning from scratch this time, with Reeves asking him to join six weeks after The Batman was released in March 2022. "Receiving that call was a huge relief for me, because Batman is very important to me," he remembers.

He is now being guided by a new mentor for his latest project: George R.R. Martin, the creator of Game of Thrones. Together, they are collaborating on a pilot for Aegon's Conquest, which narrates the epic tale of King Aegon I's conquest of the Seven Kingdoms.

Check out the complete interview with The Hollywood Reporter below.

What was happening in your life when you first encountered Terminator Zero?

It has been four years since I was in the midst of filming Mother/Android. As I was driving home, I noticed several missed calls from my team. They informed me about an opportunity to work on an animated Terminator project. Despite my previous reservations, we decided to consider the offer.

What was I trying to get across? Mother/Android was a movie about a robot uprising with dangerous robots, but it was really about my biological mother and my own personal story. I was born in Romania during the Romanian Revolution and later adopted by an American family. I was walking around constantly saying, "This movie is not my try out for Terminator," trying to explain the true meaning behind it. I repeated it so often that people eventually assumed I wanted nothing to do with the movie. But they were mistaken, I definitely wanted to be involved in it.

When you joined the team at Skydance, Netflix, and Production I.G, the decision had already been made to collaborate on an anime project. Did you have any specific guidelines or restrictions to keep in mind while brainstorming the story?

They said, "It would be great to have a Japanese character or a scene set in Japan. We could include a flash forward or flashback." I thought, "I am one of the few Americans working on this project. I believe we should place it in Japan to fully utilize the perspectives of the team creating it."

Many new sequels these days choose to disregard the events of previous movies in a franchise. What made you choose to not overlook the previous films?

We have seen six Terminator films set on the border between the United States and Mexico. Upon rewatching them, we notice references to nuclear attacks from Russia, but very little focus on events elsewhere in the world. Some Terminator sequels have seemed to suggest, "Just focus on these movies and forget about the rest." I am uncomfortable with this approach, as I do not believe I am superior or more intelligent than those who came before me. I believe there is value in each of the movies. I prefer to stay in my own unique perspective, without dismissing others' work. This mindset has allowed me to think about the story I want to share.

What caught your attention immediately?

Sharing the tale of a family experiencing the aftermath of war and Judgment Day. It's important for me to make it personal, often reflecting on my own experiences with adoption and the Romanian Revolution. If I have the opportunity to continue this story over multiple seasons, it will focus on the journey of three children growing up amidst war and transitioning into a future conflict. It will explore how their relationships with both humans and machines evolve in distinct and profound ways.

During the early stages of your career, you likely found yourself handling numerous projects simultaneously. If you hit a roadblock while working on a script, you would simply shift your focus to another one. Were you working on any other writing projects while tackling Terminator?

During the summer of 2021, I found myself in a strange and challenging period. The release of Mother/Android and Batman had not yet happened, and the arbitration process made it clear that I would not receive credit for my work on a movie. This left me feeling quite emotional and unsure about my future in the industry. I had a moment of doubt, wondering if I had already reached the peak of my career and if things were now on a downward spiral. Despite these feelings, I decided to sit down and start writing. I worked tirelessly on the first draft of this season, completing an episode every week and a half. Every 10 days, I would send in another episode, pushing myself to keep moving forward.

In my opinion, I told the studio, "I will send you the episodes, but please wait to give me feedback until I finish them all. After I finish episode eight, I will go back and revise them to make sure everything fits together nicely." The studio was very understanding. We went through a feedback process, and I have to say, if viewers don't like something in the show, it's my responsibility. If they love something, it's also my responsibility. Most of the notes I received were just asking for clarification on certain parts.

It seems like you enjoyed creating comic books where you could truly feel like yourself, working with the talented artists.

It's like a comic book. There's always someone working with me, and for me, it's director Kudo and Production I.G. I share my writing, lookbooks, and additional documents to help them understand my vision. Sometimes they stick to my original ideas, which is impressive. But other times they make changes that improve the project greatly.

In the Spider-Verse movies, they continue to make changes to the film right up until the final stages of post-production. Are you also making last-minute adjustments to your projects?

I'm not changing anything in terms of taking action. I'm not suddenly saying, "Hey, we need a submarine." What did happen, which was initially quite surprising, is that I wrote the scripts in English and then they were translated. The animated version was based on this translation. For example, the word "hello" in Japanese, "konichiwa," is longer than "hello" in English, so there are more movements of the lips when animating it. When the animated clips came back and it was time to do the English dubbing, there were many moments reminiscent of the scene in Lost Translation where Bill Murray is filming a whiskey commercial. The director speaks for two minutes, and then the translator simply says, "Move your left arm." And Bill Murray questions, "Is that all he said?" So I recently had to go through a similar process of re-adjusting my dialogue.

At first, I was very annoyed because I thought, "I wrote these scripts and this was the dialogue and this is what I wanted." I was having a discussion with Lee Bermejo, my co-worker on my book, A Vicious Circle. I was expressing my frustration to him, and he completely changed my perspective. He explained, "Oh, buddy, this is just the lettering process in comics. You wrote the script, I drew it, and now, it's your turn to add the dialogue. You can make adjustments like removing unnecessary lines or adding new ones to improve it. It's just another step in the process to make it better."

You haven't had a chance to talk to James Cameron, the creator of Terminator, but he did give his approval for the project in a recent interview with THR. I bet you were grateful for his support, right?

I am really grateful for Cameron's willingness to support the project, even though it's not exactly for me, but more for him and Skydance. He could have easily shut it down, but instead he decided to see how people would react and what they would do with it. I think that's a great mindset to have.

When you first began writing the series, the legal dispute involving Batman occurred. Now, you are returning to co-write The Batman Part II. It's obvious that Matt Reeves enjoys collaborating with you. Did being asked to come back help heal any negative emotions you may have had?

I'll be honest, it was really tough to deal with. I worked really hard and put a lot of effort and passion into it. Collaborating with Matt on the first movie was amazing. When I joined the project, I was told that I probably wouldn't receive credit due to the timing. No one did anything wrong to me, I wasn't treated unfairly. We worked hard on improving the third act and enhancing the mystery in the first two acts. There was a moment where it seemed like I might get credit, but it was just a brief hope. Unfortunately, my name became public in connection to the project, which was not the best situation.

When I saw the Fandome trailer release date [in August 2020], I had mixed feelings. I was excited to see it, but at the same time, I felt a sense of detachment as I was no longer involved in the project. It was a little disappointing, but I realized that I needed to be mature and acknowledge that I had been paid for my work. I had to remind myself to be professional and not take it personally.

On the day the movie was released, I had a long phone conversation with [Matt Reeves]. He talked about the movie-making process and was processing his experience. I had an urge to ask him about a sequel, but I decided not to. It was clear he just wanted to talk about his recent experience. So, I decided to be a good friend and enjoy the fact that he still considered me part of the project. About six weeks later, he called me and asked if I wanted to do the sequel.

The blog post was a major emotional release for me, because Batman is so important to me. As a writer, director, and creator, I try to create work that is meaningful to me and to audiences. I faced doubts and fears, like feeling like an imposter and worrying about being forgotten. These dark, scary thoughts are still there, but I had a moment of realization that I now have the opportunity to prove myself and take on bigger challenges. I am incredibly grateful to Matt Reeves for changing my life in such a meaningful way.

I enjoy listening to David Benioff and D.B. Weiss share their feelings of anxiety during their initial meeting with George R.R. Martin. They were eager to bring Game of Thrones to life but depended on his approval. Can you relate to that experience as you work on developing Aegon's Conquest for HBO?

I was surprised that he recognized me. Whenever he texts me, I think, "It's strange that you're texting me. We should be sending letters instead, with fancy handwriting." Out of all the artists and cool people I've met and worked with, no one has created a world as detailed and extensive as he has. When I met him, I had to be honest. "I've read your books, seen your shows, but I'm not an expert. I started as a fan, and now I want to create. I acknowledge that you're the genius behind all of this. We're all here because of you." I truly believe his words are like divine guidance. He always has the answers to any question I may have.

How did you first become involved in Aegon's Conquest?

I found a way to add a personal touch to my work. A big part of what helped me get the job was connecting it to real life experiences. I spoke about the Romanian Revolution, my mother, and how sometimes conquests can have both positive and negative impacts on people, including splitting families. I had more to offer than just "dragons coming." It was a challenge to balance a faithful adaptation with my personal input, but I believe that's why I was chosen. Was I nervous about getting the job? Absolutely, because while you want these opportunities, actually having to fulfill them can be daunting.

Right now, I am currently working on the pilot. I am constantly communicating with George, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have the creator of this world available to help me with my writing. Whenever I have a question, I can simply message him and ask for clarification. He always provides me with a wealth of knowledge. I approach our interactions with admiration and respect. My ultimate goal is to produce a show that makes him proud.