Christian Bale’s involvement in the next Terminator movie is merely rumor and speculation at this point, so it’s kind of funny to hear sites arguing over what form that involvement will take. Last week Ain’t It Cool reported that Bale was slated to play the new John Conner, now CHUD reports that they had word on Bale’s involvement as well, on the opposite side, as a Terminator.

Frankly, I’d be very disappointed if that was the case. Bale is an incredibly talented actor and I’d hate to see him utilized in a role that calls mostly for stiffness and single-dimension acting. I have no doubt that Bale could pull off the menacing figure if that’s where he was utilized, but with McG reportedly at the helm, I’d much rather have the talented actor taking on a more dramatic role.

Then, of course, there’s the other alternative. As Filmstalker points out, the initial press announcement for Terminator: Salvation said the story would include a new hero that could become the basis for the new trilogy. Could Bale be taking on a role we’ve never heard of before? Perhaps the new savior for humanity after John Conner’s assassination? That’s just as likely as the other two.

Right now my money stays on the initial rumor, just based on that site’s track record. Okay, also because that’s what I’d most like to see, although Bale slipping into another role would allow Nick Stahl to return as Conner, which I wouldn’t be opposed to at all. It might be nice for the new movie to have some connection to the previous ones, and it’s fairly certain Arnie won’t be putting in an appearance anytime soon.