James Cameron is set to drop an earthquake on the box office this week with Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third in the franchise that has dominated his career of late. But when that’s over, Cameron is returning to the other franchise that has meant a lot to him, Terminator, with plans to complete the script for the seventh movie and first since 2019’s Terminator: Dark Fate.
Speaking with THR, Cameron confirms that this next Terminator movie won’t include Arnold Schwarzenegger, the franchise’s iconic star…
“I can safely say he won’t be [in it],” Cameron said, adding, “It’s time for a new generation of characters. I insisted Arnold had to be involved in [2019’s] Terminator: Dark Fate, and it was a great finish to him playing the T-800. There needs to be a broader interpretation of Terminator and the idea of a time war and super intelligence. I want to do new stuff that people aren’t imagining.”
Cameron also described what he sees as the biggest narrative problem he faces…
“How do I stay enough ahead of what’s really happening to make it science fiction?”
It’s still up in the air whether Cameron will direct this one, too. He’s been talking about relaunching Terminator since 2022, with an emphasis on exploring the AI side of the story. If he does return, it’ll be the first one that he’s directed since T2: Judgment Day in 1991.
Terminator: Dark Fate was a big money loser, and that’s with both Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton returning for it. Cameron clashed with director Tim Miller over creative differences, which didn’t help matters. I feel like is this brand is ever to be what it once was, it’ll have to be with Cameron at the helm, putting the kind of investment that he does with Avatar. Anything else will fall short.
