Recently, Arnold Schwarzenegger shared some important details on the new Terminator movie, revealing that Terminator 6 is merely a working title, and that the film will completely ignore the events of Terminator: Genisys. In fact, the film will be a direct sequel to 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day, with Linda Hamilton reprising her role as Sarah Connor.
Now, we have a release date, as Paramount Pictures has just announced that the film will open on July 26th, 2019. Obviously, it looks like the studio is confident in the project, and wants to get right to work. And why shouldn’t they be? James Cameron is back in a creative role, the talented Tim Miller (Deadpool) is aboard to direct, and they even have Linda Hamilton, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Things are looking promising! The only question: is it too late?
Recent Terminator films have been sub-par, and it’s been a long time since Terminator 2: Judgment Day wowed audiences back in 1991. Well, according to Tim Miller himself, fans have nothing to fear. In fact, talking to THR, the director revealed that they are going to fully embrace Arnold’s age:
“I haven’t talked to Arnold about this so I could get in trouble. But because he’s been in all the other movies — unlike Linda — I do think there needs to be a reason to be different here. I like my sci-fi grounded. I like my characters grounded. And what Jim said about the exterior aging while the interior remains the same — well, not the interior, as in the brain, as emotionally and intellectually he will have evolved. They’re learning machines. But that’s a way to make it different than it was. Even in Genisys, he looked — I should stop — he was a slightly gussied-up version of the old Terminator. I think we should embrace his age. And that’s what’s going to make it interesting and fresh for the fans.”
It’s definitely a smart move to acknowledge his age, and not in a condescending way. The worst decision they could make is putting Arnold on screen with a bunch of “Take my Fiber” jokes, or something similar. There is a very thoughtful story about AI, and what deteriorates over time, to be told with an older Terminator. What changes? What remains the same over years? This could easily be a very emotional experience if done right, and it certainly seems like James Cameron, and Tim Miller are poised to explore these ideas.
… You can find Jordan on Twitter (@JordJJones), and Facebook.
Originally published September 28, 2017. Updated December 18, 2019.
