The original Terminator films are among the most beloved sci-fi films ever made, so fans will be happy to hear that director James Cameron is in negotiations to produce a “three-film arc” that will “reinvent” the franchise when and if the copyrights revert back to him in 2019.
Cameron told News.com.au that the question is whether the Terminator franchise can remain relevant in a world that’s far more technologically advanced than it was in 1984:
“The question is — has the franchise run its course or can it be freshened up?,” says Cameron. “Can it still have relevance now where so much of our world is catching up to what was science fiction in the first two films. We live in a world of predator drones and surveillance and big data and emergent AI (artificial intelligence).
“So I am in discussions with David Ellison, who is the current rights holder globally for the Terminator franchise and the rights in the US market revert to me under US copyright law in a year and a half so he and I are talking about what we can do. Right now we are leaning toward doing a three-film arc and reinventing it.”
More importantly, Cameron said that Arnold Schwarzenegger would be involved “to some extent,” but the idea for the new trilogy would be to introduce new characters in order to “pass the baton.”
Several movies followed Cameron’s original 1984 film and the 1991 sequel, including 2015’s Terminator Genisys starring Game of Thrones actress Emilia Clarke, but none have lived up to their predecessors. Indeed, Cameron himself is famously critical of the later films:
“I think it’s fairly widely known that I don’t have a lot of respect for the films that were made later…I was supportive at the time in each case for Arnold’s sake because he is a close friend. He has been a mate of mine since 33 years ago so I was always supportive and never too negative. But they didn’t work for me for various reasons.”
The planned reboot trilogy does not yet have a release date. Here’s hoping Cameron can give the Terminator franchise the comeback it deserves.
Do you think a Terminator reboot is a good idea?