Netflix's upcoming anime series Terminator Zero is set to debut on the streaming platform on August 29, 2024. However, fans attending Anime NYC next month will have an opportunity to see the series' premiere earlier.
Anime NYC announced today that Netflix will present the world premiere of Terminator Zero during a panel that will be hosted on Saturday, August 24th at 7:30 p.m. In addition to the debut of the highly anticipated series, the panel will feature series creator and showrunner Mattson Tomlin (The Batman Part 2), director Masahi Kudo (Bleach), and special guests.
“We are thrilled to welcome Netflix to Anime NYC for the first time and to be the site of the world premiere of their much anticipated new anime series, Terminator Zero,” said Anime NYC Event Director MK Goodwin in the press release. “Their participation brings an exciting lineup of anime titles to our event, showcasing the incredible stories and creativity that Netflix has to offer. We're eager for our attendees to experience this groundbreaking moment and explore the diverse range of content Netflix brings to the anime community."
A sneak peek at the series was shown at Anime Expo in early January and just a few weeks ago Netflix dropped an explosive teaser trailer.
Directed by Masahi Kudo at animation studios Production I.G (Ghost in the Shell, Kaiju No. 8) and Skydance Television, Terminator Zero is set in the same universe as the Terminator films; however, it shifts the focus to Japan where we'll meet an entirely new cast of characters. Time travel is at the heart of the story as we travel back and forth between 2022, the future war between humanity and machines, and 1997, when the AI known as Skynet gained self-awareness and began its war against humanity.
2022: A future war has raged for decades between the few human survivors and an endless army of machines. 1997: The AI known as Skynet gained self-awareness and began its war against humanity.
Caught between the future and this past is a soldier sent back in time to change the fate of humanity. She arrives in 1997 to protect a scientist named Malcolm Lee who works to launch a new AI system designed to compete with Skynet’s impending attack on humanity. As Malcolm navigates the moral complexities of his creation, he is hunted by an unrelenting assassin from the future which forever alters the fate of his three children.
Terminator Zero stars Timothy Olyphant as the voice of the Terminator; Rosario Dawson (Ahsoka) as Kokori, an advanced AI that serves as Japan's own Skynet competition; André Holland (Moonlight) as Malcolm Lee, the computer programmer who developed Kokoro; Sonoyo Mizuno (House of the Dragon)as Eiko, a resistance fighter sent back in time to prevent Malcolm from launching Kokoro; and Ann Dowd (The Handmaid's Tale) as Prophet, a philosophical guide for the human resistance.
Anime NYC is the East Coast's largest anime convention, dedicated to celebrating Japanese pop culture, manga, and animation. There are currently only limited Friday and Sunday badges available, but fans who are looking to attend the world premiere panel of Terminator Zero can request Saturday badges through Anime NYC's official badge reselling partner, Lyte, here.
If you are unable to attend the world premiere panel, you won't have to wait too long to watch the series, as Terminator Zero is scheduled to debut on Netflix on August 29, 2024.