Merrick here...

We've known for a while that Christian Bale is playing John Connor in McG's now-in-production TERMINATOR film. Early indications suggested Bale would appear throughout a proposed trilogy of films...although nothing seemed set in stone.

Now comes confirmation that Bale has formally signed on to play Connor in three TERMINATOR movies.

"he read the script and he loved it, so he's signed on for all three."

...says producer Victor Kubicek in THIS ARTICLE on BBC's website.

Of course, Bale signing onto TERMINATOR SALVATION doesn't guarantee subsequent films will be made - that'll depend on a variety of factors, primarily (and obviously) box office.

Without Arnie in a (at least substantive)...who knows? Fox's TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES (with principal roles in the TERMINATOR mythos recast) didn't generate stellar ratings...although (thankfully) it'll be back for a second season. Which makes me happy...I liked the series quite a bit.