Claire Danes Signs on for T3

Clare Danes, 23, has replaced actress Sophia Bush, 19, in the role of John Connor’s love interest in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. T3 director, Jonathan Mostow, decided Bush was "too young" to play opposite Nick Stahl as a 20-something John Conner. Arnold Schwarzenegger (who was reportedly paid $30 million to reprise his role) will be the only one from the earlier movies to be returning. Mostow has replaced writer-director James Cameron; Edward Furlong, who played a teen John Connor in T2, will not be returning, and Linda Hamilton, who played John’s mother Sarah, will only be seen in flashback episodes.

The film will takes place ten years after Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Danes will portray Kate Miller, a young med student who will help John Connor battle T-X, the newest Terminator. The budget is said to be upwards of $155 million. The film is already into approximately four weeks of filming and is slated to hit theaters in the summer of 2003.

Danes has been out of the limelight for some time. She made the decision to step away from the big screen to study at Yale University. She is best known for her role on My So-Called Life. Danes has also had starring roles in Brokedown Palace, Romeo and Juliet and The Mod Squad. She has decided to take some time off from studying to shoot T3 and will also appear in some upcoming films such as The Hours, It’s All About Love and Igby Goes Down.