We are mere days away from the debut of Tim Miller’s newest film “Terminator: Dark Fate.” And with that film’s release, fans of the classic action/sci-fi franchise are hoping (once again) that the inclusion of James Cameron’s producing skills will be enough to breathe life into the ‘Terminator’ series, after multiple failed attempts. While early reviews seem to be moderately enthusiastic, the future is not certain. But if ‘Dark Fate’ does kickstart the franchise, Cameron knows exactly where it’s going.
According to an interview with CinemaBlend, Cameron talked about where he sees the future of ‘Terminator’ heading and why he chose not to hint at future films in ‘Dark Fate.’
“I feel like one of my major motivations on this film or coming back to the, hopefully franchise, was to explore the human relationship with artificial intelligence,” said Cameron. “I don’t feel we did that in ‘Dark Fate.’ I feel that we set the stage or we set the table for that exploration, and that exploration would take place in a second film and a third film.
He continued, “And we know exactly where we’re going to take that idea. What we wanted to get in the first movie was this idea that it’s just going to keep happening. The names will change, but the basic conflict is going to continue to take place until it gets resolved one way or the other.”
Now, whenever a filmmaker begins talking about future installments of a franchise before the first is released, fans are likely going to be a bit worried. Normally, this is a sign that the newest film is going to be filled with unanswered questions and teases to films that may or may not actually happen. And when you’re talking about the ‘Terminator’ franchise, as we’ve seen with the last three films, the future is never a promise. Just ask Emilia Clarke and Jai Courtney.
However, Cameron wants you to know that ‘Dark Fate’ isn’t that type of film, and those worries aren’t something that fans should carry with them into the new film.
“I think you start simple and then you elaborate, and you can elaborate over a series of films,” the filmmaker added. “If they’re made by the same people with the same intentions and the same philosophy, then there can be a kind of a story arc across multiple films. But that said, I think ‘Dark Fate’ stands alone as a pretty good one-time story.
Early reviews seem to point to the fact that ‘Dark Fate’ is a better film than ‘Rise of the Machines,’ ‘Salvation,’ and the most recent sequel, ‘Genisys.’ However, as stated in our review, that doesn’t mean that the newest entry in the ‘Terminator’ saga is without flaws. So, as with any blockbuster, it all comes down to the number of tickets sold to determine if Cameron gets to explore the future of ‘Terminator.’
Otherwise, you have to wonder just how many times can a franchise get rebooted?
