After Paramount and Skydance Productions’ to reboot Terminator fell apart with the poorly-received Terminator Genisys, the studios turned to original series creator James Cameron to push the reset button on the franchise with Terminator: Dark Fate, a direct sequel to Terminator 2: Judgment Day which Cameron is producing alongside director Tim Miller (Deadpool).
Speaking to Deadline, Cameron revealed how became involved with Dark Fate, and how he, Miller and Skydance’s David Ellison worked together to map out plans for a trilogy of films – one that would hopefully avoid the mistakes of the latter sequels in the series.
“[Ellison] was quite honest with me about this – [Genisys] fell short of the mark and didn’t really do what he had wanted it to do,” said Cameron. “So he said, ‘Let’s start with a blank slate and take it back to Terminator 2.’ And that idea was intriguing. We spent several weeks breaking story and figuring out what type of story we wanted to tell so we would have something to pitch Linda Hamilton. We rolled up our sleeves and started to break out the story and when we got a handle on something we looked at it as a three-film arc, so there is a greater story there to be told. If we get fortunate enough to make some money with Dark Fate we know exactly where we can go with the subsequent films.”
SEE ALSO: More new footage in Terminator: Dark Fate international trailer
“One of the things that seemed obvious from looking at the films that came along later was that we would need to get everything back to the basics and that we would need to avoid the mistakes of making things overly complex and that we needed to avoid stories that jumps around in time and one that goes backward and forward in time. Let’s keep it simple in the relative unity of time. With the story, let’s have the whole thing play out in 36 hours or 48 hours. In the first two movies everything plays out in less than two days in each one so there’s energy and momentum.”
SEE ALSO: Edward Furlong “really, really happy” to be back for Terminator: Dark Fate
Are you looking forward to the prospect of a new Terminator trilogy? Do you think the involvement of James Cameron can help the series recapture its former glory? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Terminator: Dark Fate is being directed by Tim Miller (Deadpool), with James Cameron producing, and sees Arnold Schwarzenegger (T-800), Linda Hamilton (Sarah Connor) and Edward Furlong (John Connor) reprising their roles alongside new cast additions Mackenzie Davis (Blade Runner 2049), Natalia Reyes (Lady), Diego Boneta (Pretty Little Liars) and Gabriel Luna (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.). The film will be released on October 23rd in the UK and November 1st in North America.
Originally published September 5, 2019. Updated September 6, 2019.
