The Terminator franchise appeared dead after 2015’s flop Terminator: Genisys, but then James Cameron got involved. The series creator hasn’t been involved in the franchise since Terminator 2 26 years ago, but he’s set to produce the next Terminator film sooner than you think, and he’s bringing star Arnold Schwarzenegger along with him in a brand new role.
Speaking to Austrian outlet Kleine Zeitung, the 70-year-old Austrian actor revealed that the new Terminator film starts shooting next year, and that he will be in it for sure. “In March next year, I am shooting Terminator 6, James Cameron and David Ellison are back on board,” Arnold said. Ellison is a young producer who was one of the main forces behind Genisys, so fans may not be so thrilled to hear he’s coming back. Cameron, though, is another story.
Rumors continue to suggest that Deadpool helmer Tim Miller will direct the next Terminator flick, with heavy input from Cameron, who has already revealed the new role he has in mind for Schwarzenegger: that of the human whose genetics were the basis for the T-800. “You got to ask yourself, ‘Why did they make these characters look and sound like Arnold? There has to be a reason,” the director told The Arnold Fans recently. “So yeah, it has flashed through my mind that there has to have been a prototype. There has to have been a guy who’s DNA was harvested from — that they grew the organic outer layer that they grew the Terminator from… and that presumably was a real person at some point. Now, the question is, did that person have some sort of meaning to Skynet on why they chose that one (Arnold)? Or was it like a whole rack of Terminators and the one that happened to be the Arnold model just happened to be closest to the door going out to the time displacement center and all the others looked different? I’ve asked myself these questions but it’s never been resolved… so stay tuned! We’re talking pretty seriously now about doing some new Terminator films or possibly a trilogy and you’ll just have to see what surfaces in those.”
Having Arnold play an old man who in his youth was the basis for the Terminators could be pretty interesting, especially if he feels remorse for the role he played in Skynet’s dominance and is looking for redemption. I mean, we could be looking at the Terminator equivalent of Logan here, which would be amazing. And if the movie really is shooting in seven months, then we probably won’t have to wait too long to find out if that’s what it’s going to be.
