Summary
- James Cameron is not involved in Terminator Zero.
- The franchise struggled on the big screen post-T2 without Cameron, resulting in critical and financial disappointments.
- Regardless of previous failures, it's actually good to have new Terminator stories that aren't directly tied to what the franchise has already done.
James Cameron recently shared his thoughts on the Netflix subsequent Terminator movies never lived up to its first two films, be it critically or financially.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Terminator Zero’s timeline implies it will take place in the same continuity as the first two movies, which does not mean it will rely on things the saga has already done. In fact, Cameron had no input on the project.
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James Cameron Is Not Involved With Terminator Zero (& That’s Actually Exciting)
Cameron Is Working On A Separate Terminator Project Entirely
While James Cameron is the creator of the Terminator franchise and the one responsible for the franchise’s only two critically acclaimed films, the fact he is not involved with Terminator Zero is actually exciting. When asked about the animated series, Cameron noted that he is interested to see what the creators of the show will explore, and what portions of the universe he created they were curious about. Cameron compared Terminator Zero with The Sarah Connor Chronicles as the latter was also a TV show in which he had no involvement.
It looks interesting. My relationship to that is very much like The Sarah Connor Chronicles — other people spinning stories in a world I set in motion is interesting to me. What’s their takeaway? What intrigued them about it? Where are they going with it? It looks like they’re going back to the root cause of Judgment Day — the nuclear war — and whether that’s an ultimate timeline. I’d be curious to see what they’ve come up with.
Unlike the Terminator movies that came after T2, all of which referred to the first two films in some way or form, The Sarah Connor Chronicles was more of a standalone sequel series that built its own lore within the Terminator universe. Despite having been canceled after just two seasons, The Sarah Connor Chronicles was arguably the best addition to the Terminator franchise after The Terminator and T2. Having a different creative team play within the sandbox established by the movies can lead to fresh new stories, which is why Terminator Zero is so exciting.
Terminator Has Not Always Worked Without James Cameron
All Of The Terminator Movies After Judgment Day Failed
Massive franchises like Terminator thrive on different interpretations and creative teams. For example, Andor delivered one of the greatest Star Wars stories ever put to screen by doing something different from what the movies had done while also playing with all the “toys” available in that universe. That said, Terminator does not have the best track record without James Cameron. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was the first entry in the series not to be directed by Cameron, and while it had an interesting premise, it felt like a lesser version of Judgment Day.
The Sarah Connor Chronicles ignored the events of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.
Terminator: Salvation promised to do the one thing the Cameron films had not done and visit the future where John Connor is the leader of the resistance. The result was disastrous, with almost killing the franchise forever. Cameron was not involved in the making of Terminator: Genisys, but the filmmaker gave the movie his blessings and promised Terminator fans would like it. Lastly, Cameron was a producer with bigger involvement in Terminator: Dark Fate, which was marketed as the true sequel to Terminator 2. However, Dark Fate was also a critical and commercial disappointment.
Terminator Welcomes Different Interpretations (& That Should Be Its Future)
Terminator Is Used To Reboot & Alternate Timelines Anyway
James Cameron may not have been involved in most of the Terminator projects that came after Terminator 2, but all of the sequels tried to emulate aspects of his films in some way. Terminator never allowed itself to think outside the box, with the story always coming down to John, Sarah, and Skynet. There is also the matter of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800, who has been the face of the franchise since its inception and keeps being brought back into the movies. Even The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which tried new things, was still a legacy sequel to T2.
Terminator has no problem rebooting the franchise or adding new timelines to justify new stories, meaning that moving away from the saga’s most famous characters would not be difficult.
If Terminator Zero succeeds, I would love to see new Terminator movies and TV shows tackling all-new characters who have nothing to do with Sarah or the T-800. Terminator has no problem rebooting the franchise or adding new timelines to justify new stories, meaning that moving away from the saga’s most famous characters would not be difficult. What exactly Cameron’s secret Terminator project is remains to be seen, but the iconic director himself could be the one to reinvent the saga he created in 1984. Whether Terminator should have ever become a franchise is debatable, but regardless, it deserves another chance.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
