The Oscar-winning director says he has been in discussions with David Ellison, who currently holds the rights to the franchise, about a potential trilogy that will introduce new characters.
- Jul 27, 2017
AceShowbiz - James Cameron has not abandoned "Terminator". While he's currently busy preparing to shoot the "Avatar" sequels, the award-winning filmmaker reveals that he is looking to "reinvent" the sci-fi franchise that helped him gain recognition in the industry in 1984.
According to News.com.au, Cameron is in discussions with David Ellison, who currently holds the right to the franchise, about the possibility of making a new trilogy. He says, "So I am in discussions with David Ellison, who is the current rights holder globally for the 'Terminator' franchise and the rights in the U.S. market revert to me under U..S copyright law in a year and a half so he and I are talking about what we can do. Right now we are leaning toward doing a three-film arc and reinventing it."
Cameron acknowledges the challenges that they face as the sci-fi franchise is competing against new and more relatable movies. "The question is - has the franchise run its course or can it be freshened up?" he says. "Can it still have relevance now where so much of our world is catching up to what was science fiction in the first two films. We live in a world of predator drones and surveillance and big data and emergent AI (artificial intelligence)."
He adds though, "We'll put more meat on the bones if we get past the next couple of hurdles as and when we announce that."
Cameron also reveals that Arnold Schwarzenegger, who starred in the original trilogy and 2015's "Terminator Genisys", will be involved in the new trilogy "to some extent," but the plan would be to introduce new characters to "pass the baton."
"Terminator Genisys", which was reportedly intended to start a new trilogy, received lukewarm reviews from critics and was deemed a commercial flop since it earned less than $100 million in North America. A planned sequel was subsequently canceled, with Paramount removing the follow-up from their release schedule.
