British actress Helena Bonham Carter is a possible new addition to the cast of the highly anticipated fourth installment of the “Terminator” franchise, the Hollywood Reporter announced.

Bonham Carter is in talks to join the cast of “Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins,” director McG’s contribution to the box office winning franchise which debuted in 1984 with James Cameron’s “The Terminator,” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

According to the HR, Bonham Carter’s role would be a small but pivotal one.

The cast already includes Christian Bale as John Connor, Bryce Dallas Howard as Kate Connor (a role previously assigned to French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg), Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese, Sam Worthington as Marcus Wright and Moon Bloodgood as Blair Williams.

“Charlie’s Angels” helmer McG is directing from a script by Michael Ferris and John Brancato.

Production started last month in New Mexico, in an attempt to shoot most exteriors before a writers’ strike might emerge. The Warner Bros. film has a May 2009 release date.

The story depicted in “Terminator Salvation” has been meticulously guarded but what is known is that the plot is an integral part of a trilogy beginning after Skynet has destroyed the greater part of humanity in a nuclear holocaust.

Bonham Carter, who received an Academy Award nomination for 1998’s “The Wings of the Dove,” is usually associated with finer, more prestigious films, as well as with partner Tim Burton’s eccentric projects.

Among her recent big screen appearances are her portrayal of Bellatrix Lestrange in “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” and of the murderous lovelorn Mrs. Lovett in “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”

She is well known for starring in films such as “A Room with a View,” “Fight Club,” “Planet of the Apes” and “Novocaine.”

She is set to reprise the role of the Death Eater in the franchise’s next two films.