'Terminator 5' is scheduled to start production early next year, and soon we should start hearing about the casting besides that of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who's confirmed he'll be back. The latest rumor is that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will be joining the cast.

This comes from the WWE Examiner, and though we'd consider this as little more than wishful thinking, it would make sense. For one, Johnson has worked miracles coming into beleaguered franchises, as he boosted the sequels 'Fast Five,' 'Journey 2: The Mysterious Island' and 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation' with his presence. For another, Schwarzenegger appeared in 'The Rundown' -- which was one of Johnson's first starring roles -- in a moment that seemed to a handing off of the torch, so it's likely that the two would like to work together again. And for another, Schwarzenegger is simply too old at this point to play the same robot he's played three times previously, so why not have Johnson play the Schwarzenegger role this time out?

The Examiner also has a possible plot description, which notes that the film may be set in the past, and with the parents of Sarah Connor the new targets. They wrote:

Incredibly, Schwarzenegger may not play the role of a machine in the next film, but a potentially heroic human figure in or close to the Connor family. One theory is that Schwarzenegger’s remarkable ability to protect the Connor family in the 1940s or 1950s with antiquated weaponry by today’s standards ultimately inspired the machines to develop a terminator in his likeness that was eventually sent to 1984 when Sarah Connor was first targeted for termination.

Again, everything about this is exceptionally tentative, and we're keeping an eye on Johnson's twitter account to see if he'll confirm or deny the story. Still, it would definitely give the series some juice after the last two sequels.

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