James Cameron on the future of the Terminator franchise

James Cameron says future Terminator tasks received’t embrace any acquainted characters or iconography from the previous films.

The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day proceed to face the check of time as some of the most interesting sci-fi motion films ever made. However, the subsequent sequels at all times felt like they have been attempting (and failing) to recapture that lightning in a bottle. James Cameron revealed final yr that he’s been working on his personal secret Terminator venture, and whereas talking with Empire for the fortieth anniversary of the unique film, he dropped a giant trace at what it may appear to be. TL;DR: Don’t count on to see any acquainted characters or iconography.

“This is the moment when you jettison everything that is specific to the last 40 years of Terminator, but you live by those principles,” Cameron mentioned, explaining that the franchise wants to maneuver previous its iconic characters. “You get too inside it, and then you definitely lose a brand new viewers as a result of the new viewers care a lot much less about that stuff than you assume they do. That’s the hazard, clearly, with Avatar as properly, however I believe we’ve confirmed that we now have one thing for brand spanking new audiences.“

This means no T-800, no Sarah Connor, and no John Connor. Stripping away these parts would take the franchise again to its bones: people vs machines, and that’s simply what Cameron desires. “You’ve got powerless main characters, essentially, fighting for their lives, who get no support from existing power structures, and have to circumvent them but somehow maintain a moral compass. And then you throw AI into the mix,” Cameron teased. “Those rules are sound rules for storytelling in the present day, proper? So I’ve little question that subsequent Terminator movies won’t solely be attainable, however they’ll kick ass. But that is the second the place you jettison all the particular iconography.“

Arnold Schwarzenegger has already mentioned that he’s completed with the franchise, and I can’t say I blame him. The final three installments (Terminator: Salvation, Terminator: Genisys, and Terminator: Dark Fate) have been every meant to kick-start a brand new trilogy, however all of them underperformed. Taking issues again to fundamentals, with none of the baggage of the earlier films, is likely to be the finest approach to go.