Claim: Terminator Genisys features the main characters from the first two films.

Terminator Genisys is a 2015 American science fiction action film directed by Alan Taylor and written by Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier . The fifth installment in the Terminator franchise , it serves as a soft reboot to the film series that features the main characters from the first two films , portrayed by a new cast with the exception of Arnold Schwarzenegger , who reprises his role as the eponymous character . The film stars Schwarzenegger , Jason Clarke , Emilia Clarke and Jai Courtney . The plot follows soldier Kyle Reese in the war against Skynet ; Kyle is sent from the year 2029 to 1984 by John Connor , leader of the Human Resistance , to protect Connor 's mother Sarah from Skynet 's android agent . When Kyle arrives in the past , he discovers that the timeline has been altered and Sarah has been raised by his quarry 's reprogrammed facsimile , and must travel to 2017 to stop a dangerous scheme from Skynet and face its advanced enforcer , the T-3000 , with his new allies .   Megan Ellison and her production company , Annapurna Pictures , acquired the franchise rights in May 2011 . The following year , production of another installment in the series was set up in collaboration with Skydance Productions -LRB- owned by Ellison 's brother , David -RRB- . The Ellisons consulted Terminator creator James Cameron in the hope of returning to the spirit of the original film , The Terminator , and its sequel , Terminator 2 : Judgment Day . Principal photography was primarily in New Orleans , with some in the on-screen setting of San Francisco . Six companies handled the film 's visual effects ; its prosthetic make-up and animatronics were created by Legacy Effects , a studio founded by Terminator veteran Stan Winston .   The film was released by Paramount Pictures on July 1 , 2015 , in standard digital format , RealD 3D , and IMAX 3D . Terminator Genisys was not well received by critics , who found the story and performances unsatisfactory , although Schwarzenegger 's return to the franchise was praised . It grossed over $ 440 million worldwide , making it the second-highest-grossing film of the franchise and Schwarzenegger 's career -LRB- after Terminator 2 : Judgment Day -RRB- .