CHRISTIAN BALE - BALE 'TO PLAY TERMINATOR LEAD'

BALE 'TO PLAY TERMINATOR LEAD'

Christian Bale is in talks to take the lead role in the next Terminator film, it has been claimed.

According to the Hollywood Reporter the British actor is set to play human resistance fighter John Connor as he battles against the machines in a post-nuclear holocaust Earth.

Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins is earmarked for a 2009 release with Charlie's Angels director McG at the helm.

James Cameron's The Terminator made Arnold Schwarzenegger an A-list action star in 1984, with his newfound status being reflected by a good guy reprogramming in the big-budget sequel seven years later.

John Connor was played by child actor Edward Furlong in Terminator 2: Judgement Day and Nick Stahl in Jonathan Mostow's Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.

Fans of the franchise are divided on whether McG and Bale are the right people to take the film series in the right direction.

Bale, 33, is currently shooting The Dark Knight, reprising his role as the Caped Crusader following 2005's Batman Begins.