Summary
James Cameron recently shared his thoughts on the upcoming NetflixTerminatoranime, and they reveal exactly how to save the $2 billion franchise after a series of disappointing films. WhileTerminatorwill always be synonymous with James Cameron, the filmmaker only directed two of the franchise’s six theatrical movies.Cameron’s involvement in other entries in theTerminatoruniverse varies, but the fact is that his work inThe TerminatorandTerminator 2: Judgment Dayset the tone for what the franchise would look like. Unfortunately,subsequentTerminatormoviesnever lived up to its first two films, be it critically or financially.
Speaking withThe Hollywood Reporter,Cameron confirmed he is working on a secretTerminatorproject. While not much is known about the potentialTerminator 7, the franchise will return soon with Netflix’sTerminator Zero. The anime series, which is produced by the studio behind Ghost in the Shell, will take place in 1997 and will feature original characters.Terminator Zero’s timelineimplies it will take place in the same continuity as the first two movies, which does not mean it will rely on things the saga has already done. In fact,Cameron had no input on the project.
Terminator 7: Script Announcement & Everything We Know
James Cameron has announced he’s currently penning a script for Terminator 7, and here’s everything we know about the new Terminator movie.
James Cameron Is Not Involved With Terminator Zero (& That’s Actually Exciting)
Cameron Is Working On A Separate Terminator Project Entirely
While James Cameron is the creator oftheTerminatorfranchiseand the one responsible for the franchise’s only two critically acclaimed films, the fact he is not involved withTerminator Zerois actually exciting. When asked about the upcoming animated series, Cameron noted that he is interested to see what the creators of the show will explore, and what portions of the universe he created they were curious about.Cameron comparedTerminator ZerowithThe Sarah Connor Chroniclesas the latter was also a TV show in which he had no involvement.
It looks interesting. My relationship to that is very much like The Sarah Connor Chronicles — other people spinning stories in a world I set in motion is interesting to me. What’s their takeaway? What intrigued them about it? Where are they going with it? It looks like they’re going back to the root cause of Judgment Day — the nuclear war — and whether that’s an ultimate timeline. I’d be curious to see what they’ve come up with.
Unlike theTerminatormovies that came afterT2, all of which referred to the first two films in some way or form,The Sarah Connor Chronicleswas more of a standalone sequel series that built its own lore within theTerminatoruniverse. Despite having been canceled after just two seasons,The Sarah Connor Chronicleswas arguably the best addition to theTerminatorfranchise afterTheTerminatorandT2. Having a different creative team play within the sandbox established by the movies can lead to fresh new stories, which is whyTerminator Zerois so exciting.
Terminator Has Not Always Worked Without James Cameron
All Of The Terminator Movies After Judgment Day Failed
Massive franchises likeTerminatorthrive on different interpretations and creative teams. For example, Andor delivered one of the greatest Star Wars stories ever put to screen by doing something different from what the movies had done while also playing with all the “toys” available in that universe. That said,Terminatordoes not have the best track record without James Cameron.Terminator 3: Rise of the Machineswas the first entry in the series not to be directed by Cameron, and while it had an interesting premise, it felt like a lesser version ofJudgment Day.
The Sarah Connor Chroniclesignored the events ofTerminator 3: Rise of the Machines.
Terminator: Salvationpromised to do the one thing the Cameron films had not done and visit the future where John Connor is the leader of the resistance. The result was disastrous, withTerminator: Salvationalmost killing the franchise forever. Cameron was not involved in the making ofTerminator: Genisys, but the filmmaker gave the movie his blessings and promisedTerminatorfans would like it. Lastly,Cameron was a producer with bigger involvement inTerminator: Dark Fate, which was marketed as the true sequel toTerminator 2. However,Dark Fatewas also a critical and commercial disappointment.
Terminator Welcomes Different Interpretations (& That Should Be Its Future)
Terminator Is Used To Reboot & Alternate Timelines Anyway
James Cameron may not have been involved in most of theTerminatorprojects that came afterTerminator 2, but all of the sequels tried to emulate aspects of his films in some way.Terminatornever allowed itself to think outside the box, with the story always coming down to John, Sarah, and Skynet. There is also the matter of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800, who has been the face of the franchise since its inception and keeps being brought back into the movies. EvenThe Sarah Connor Chronicles, which tried new things, was still a legacy sequel toT2.
Terminatorhas no problem rebooting the franchise or adding new timelines to justify new stories, meaning that moving away from the saga’s most famous characters would not be difficult.
IfTerminator Zerosucceeds, I would love to see newTerminatormovies and TV shows tackling all-new characters who have nothing to do with Sarah or the T-800.Terminatorhas no problem rebooting the franchise or adding new timelines to justify new stories, meaning that moving away from the saga’s most famous characters would not be difficult. What exactly Cameron’s secretTerminatorproject is remains to be seen, but the iconic director himself could be the one to reinvent the saga he created in 1984. WhetherTerminatorshould have ever become a franchise is debatable, but regardless, it deserves another chance.
