'Terminator' given May 2009 release date

Warner Bros has set a May 22, 2009 release date for its science-fiction blockbuster Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins.

The film will go head to head with another high-profile tentpole - Fox's Ben Stiller sequel Night at the Museum II: Escape From the Smithsonian - which also opens on the same day.

The new Terminator's storyline takes place after the events of Terminator 3 and sees a group of nuclear holocaust survivors fighting against the malevolent artificial intelligence system Skynet.

Terminator begins filming in New Mexico on May 5. The movie will be directed by Charlie's Angels helmer McG and star Christian Bale and Australian actor Sam Worthington.