Tom Hardy and Emilia Clarke tipped for lead roles in Terminator 5

Casting for the fifth installment of the sci-fi franchise is set to begin this week

The 36-year old actor is rumoured to be on director Alan Taylor's wishlist for Terminator 5 (Getty Images)

Actor Tom Hardy of Bane from The Dark Knight Rises fame is rumoured to be in the running for a lead role in Terminator 5.

The 36-year old would be starring alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in the franchise reboot, with Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke and 21 Jump Street’s Brie Larson also expected to audition for key parts.

Hardy is tipped as the favourite to play John Connor, the hero who grows up to lead the human resistance in the war against cyborgs. Possible rivals for the role include Garrett Hedlund and Boyd Holbrook, but nothing has been confirmed.

Schwarzenegger will return as a robot in the sci-fi story, charged with protecting the young Sarah Connor (John’s future mother) as she grows up.

The new fifth installment will continue a film series started in 1984, with Thor: The Dark World director Alan Taylor expected in the driving seat.

Hardy has been notching up the top castings recently, having recently been signed to appear as flamboyant musical legend Sir Elton John in a film about his life.

Terminator 5, which is likely to be renamed, follows 2009’s Terminator Salvation and is due for release in the summer of 2015.