So, which of these guys is in the running to play the newest variant of the Cyberdyne Systems Model 101?

Woody Harrelson? Cyborgs really aren’t into grass brownies and pocket rockets.

Tommy Lee Jones? Cyborgs typically aren’t programmed as weathered, jaded, and cynical prototypes.

Javier Bardem? This could actually work if not for his obvious Spanish heritage, for the Terminator generally possesses an alabaster complexion.

Josh Brolin? Now we’re getting somewhere…

According to Cinematical, Josh Brolin could step into Arnold Schwartznegger’s cyborg shoes as the new Terminator. For the fourth film of the series, Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins, director Joseph McGinty Nichol (a.k.a. “McG”) spoke of his plans to match up the future’s John Connor (Christian Bale) against a certain type of actor:

When pressed to answer who they’re looking at to play the new Terminator, McG noted, ” … it’s very difficult to say because it’s a decidedly masculine role and I think we’re living in a time where a lot of actors are very effeminate and they’re sort of skinny, heroine chic and there’s really a masculine component to the role. And there’s guys out there like Russell Crowe and Eric Bana, bring a good physicality, they do what they do, but I don’t know if they’re exactly right at the end of the day. (Smiles) Josh Brolin is a very exciting actor – we’ll see.”

Certainly, stranger things have happened to Josh Brolin in recent years, such as that time he showed up to the set of No Country For Old Men and to find he was the Casting Mistake of the Year. This is according to the film’s directors, Joel and Ethan Coen:

No Country for Old Men had Tommy Lee Jones in place — no mistake there — as a crusty west-Texas sheriff on the trail of a bad man to be played by four-time-Goya-winning Spanish sex symbol Javier Bardem. And to round out the cast we hired — we thought — rugged everyman Jim Brolin as Llewelyn Moss, the aging Vietnam vet caught in the middle.

Yep, that’s right — the Coens had meant to hire Josh’s father, James Brolin. Instead, they had a signed contract for an actor who was thirty years younger than the role he was supposed to play.

Well, that’s show business. You roll with the punches. You make it work. How could Josh Brolin plausibly be a Vietnam vet? Simple: set the story in 1980 instead of the present day. A quick huddle with production designer Jess Gonchor and, bingo, we’re a period picture. Turns out the Brolin kid is not bad. Still, Jim Brolin. It could have been great.

Josh Brolin has always been able to find work as an actor, but, until now, he’s never really been able to rise above bit parts. The Coens’ casting mistake has pretty much catapulted Josh Brolin into late-blooming status. This extra income will certainly help out at home, since Josh’s wife, Diane Lane, keeps ending up in total cinematic crap. Good times.