Sometimes those outlandish Internet rumors are true. During the holiday weekend, Ain't It Cool News (aka "geek central") reported that Christian Bale had agreed to play a grown-up John Connor in the fourth installment of the "Terminator" franchise. "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins" (what a title) is currently in preproduction at Warner Bros. and under the eye of not-so-visionary director McG for a summer 2009 release. Not surprisingly, many just brushed the report aside as another fan-boy daydream. Bale is obviously set financially with Chris Nolan's "Batman" series, and why would an actor who spent weeks in the jungles of Thailand with acclaimed filmmaker Werner Herzog want to work with a director whose career achievement is "Charlie's Angels"? And considering how much time "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight" have taken out of his schedule (the "Knight" shoot took more than six months), why would he commit to what is expected to be the first of three new "Terminator" movies? Those questions have yet to be answered, but on a hunch, I contacted someone close to the production who, much to my surprise, confirmed Bale is in serious talks for the role but hasn't yet signed on the dotted line.

What is known about the latest "Terminator" is that the story line will find Connor (previously played by Edward Furlong in "Terminator 2" and Nick Stahl in "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines") battling a world overrun by Skynet in the not-so-distant future. The chances of the original Terminator, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, appearing for a cameo are slim. Although Warner Bros. is involved in both the new movie and the new FOX series "The Sarah Connor Chronicles," it's unclear whether the story lines will reflect one another.

Bale received stellar reviews this fall for his role in James Mangold's "3:10 to Yuma" and can currently be seen playing one of six Bob Dylans in Todd Haynes' intriguing "I'm Not There." "The Dark Knight" arrives in theaters July 18.

Next column: Nicole Kidman tries to steal "The Golden Compass"; Daniel Craig chats about "Compass" and the next James Bond flick; and more.

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