The Terminator at 40: James Cameron on the Future of the Franchise

A Legacy of Time-Traveling Cyborgs

Ever since The Terminator hit the big screen 40 years ago, Hollywood has taken the time-twisting cyborg saga and run with it. First, James Cameron sequelised his own original with the exemplary Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Then, things got more tangled. Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines continued the story without Cameron’s involvement; Terminator Salvation was something of a reboot delving into the war against the machines; Terminator Genisys attempted to remix the iconography of the series; all landed to underwhelming responses. Most recently, Terminator: Dark Fate served as a direct sequel to Judgment Day, and stalled at the box office. But while the big-screen sequels have struggled to live up to the heights of The Terminator and T2, James Cameron is confident that there’s a future for the franchise – and knows what needs to be done to bring it roaring back to life.

A New Direction

“This is the moment when you jettison everything that is specific to the last 40 years of Terminator, but you live by those principles,” he tells Empire in a major new interview celebrating four decades of The Terminator. That means moving away from the iconic original cast, and telling new and different stories in the world of the A.I. apocalypse. “You get too inside it, and then you lose a new audience because the new audience care much less about that stuff than you think they do,” the filmmaker explains. “That’s the danger, obviously, with Avatar as well, but I think we’ve proven that we have something for new audiences.”

The Core of the Franchise

Without Arnie, without Linda Hamilton, without the T-800 and the T-1000 and Sarah Connor, it might be hard to imagine what’s left. But Cameron is clear on the elements that make Terminator tick. “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. Those principles are sound principles for storytelling today, right?” he reasons. “So I have no doubt that subsequent Terminator films will not only be possible, but they’ll kick ass. But this is the moment where you jettison all the specific iconography.”

The Future of the Franchise

And it’s not just that future Terminator films are possible – it seems Cameron, while hard at work on Avatar: Fire & Ash and its sequels, is masterminding something new in the machine-ridden future. “It’s more than a plan,” he reveals. “That’s what we’re doing. That’s all I’ll say for right now.” It’s like the Terminator always said: ‘I’ll be back’.

Conclusion

James Cameron is confident that the Terminator franchise has a bright future ahead of it, and that it will continue to evolve and adapt to new audiences and new technologies. With his track record of success and his passion for storytelling, it’s hard to argue with his optimism.

FAQs

Q: What is the future of the Terminator franchise?
A: James Cameron is confident that the franchise will continue to evolve and adapt to new audiences and new technologies.

Q: Will there be new Terminator films?
A: Yes, Cameron has revealed that he is working on new projects in the Terminator universe.

Q: Will the new films feature the same cast as the original?
A: No, Cameron has stated that the new films will feature new characters and storylines, and will not rely on the same cast as the original.

Q: What is the significance of the 40th anniversary of The Terminator?
A: The 40th anniversary of The Terminator marks a significant milestone in the franchise’s history, and provides an opportunity for Cameron to reflect on the franchise’s legacy and its future.