The Terminator franchise has seen it’s ups and downs, but after 35 long years, director and series creator James Cameron is back, having reclaimed the rights to his beloved science fiction series at the beginning of 2019.
Up until now, few details have been shared about the future of the Terminator franchise and the unnamed sixth film, but thanks to a recent CinemaCon presentation, we now know Deadpool‘s Tim Miller will direct the sixth installment in the Terminator franchise, that the movie will feature new and old cast members, and that Terminator: Dark Fate (mic drop) will be the start of a new trilogy of Terminator films.
With the sequel scheduled to hit theaters November 1, 2019, here is everything we know (so far) about Terminator: Dark Fate.
Working Title
Back in February James Cameron sat down with Yahoo while promoting Alita: Battle Angel to discuss the next sixth installment in the Terminator franchise and revealed the working title of the film.
“We’re calling it, Terminator: Dark Fate. That’s our working title right now.”
Initially, Dark Fate was just a running title but last month Deadline reported the film will be released on November 1, 2019, and will be officially called Terminator: Dark Fate.
The Return Of Arnold Schwarzenegger
As you might have guessed, Arnold Schwarzenegger will once again return to the role that made his career, only this time around the 71-year-old action star will play an aging T-800 that has grown and evolved immensely since we last saw him.
During an interview with Hollywood Reporter, Cameron explained why an aging T-800 makes complete sense:
You don’t have to get around it. The beauty of it is: He’s a cyborg. And so, the org part is on the outside, meaning organism. And Reese says it in the first film: “They sweat. They have bad breath.” Because they were supposed to be infiltration units, so there’s this idea that flesh sort of sheaths over a metal endo-skeleton. So that would age normally. So, obviously he’s one that’s been in action and operation for a long time. And that’s all I want to say about the actual story part of it.
The Return of Sarah Connor
Much like Schwarzenegger, Dark Fate will also mark Linda Hamilton’s return to the iconic movie franchise after more than 25 years. Hamilton last portrayed Sarah Connor in 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgement Day, although it’s worth pointing out that her voice was used in two scenes (uncredited) of McG’s less than stellar, Terminator: Salvation, released back in 2009.
In a recent interview with Variety, Hamilton was asked about the previous three Terminator films and actresses’ didn’t hold back, saying “They’re very forgettable, aren’t they?” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
James Cameron’s Involvement
Before stepping away from the franchise in the mid-’90s, James Cameron was planning to release a third Terminator film but when Carolco Pictures filed for bankruptcy, Andrew G. Vajna and Mario F. Kassar purchased the rights to the franchise, subsequently leading to Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines being made without Cameron involvement. The famed director initially sold the rights of the Terminator for $1 to producer Gale Ann Hurd (Cameron’s ex-wife) and in exchange, the studio could not fire him as director. Luckily for us, the deal also stated that Cameron would regain control of the franchise in 35 years, which to did on January 1, 2019.
Shooting Begins
Dark Fate was previously scheduled to release on July 26, 2019, but after production was pushed back by four months in April of 2018, Paramount Pictures changed the release date to November 1, 2019. These types of delays might sound concerning, but it’s worth noting that these sorts of things are quite common in the film industry. At this point, we don’t know why the film was delayed, but chances are Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox had something to do with it.
Behind the Scenes Look
Back in January of this year, a special behind the scenes look at Terminator: Dark Fate was released, offering fans of the franchise a sneak peek at the cast and crew on the set of the film in Hungry. The video features both director Tim Miller and Arnold Schwarzenegger discussing the movie and thanking the people of Hungry for their generous hospitality. The video also features a few shots of Linda Hamilton, Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna, and Mackenzie Davis on set and in costume.
To view the behind the scenes look at Terminator: Dark Fate, follow this link.
Fixing The Broken Timeline
While speaking with Hollywood Reporter, Cameron clarified that Terminator: Dark Fate will be a continuation of the first two films and as far as he’s concerned, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Terminator Salvation, and Terminator Genisys never happened.
“This is a continuation of the story from Terminator 1 and Terminator 2. And we’re pretending the other films were a bad dream. Or an alternate timeline, which is permissible in our multi-verse. This was really driven more by [Tim] than anybody, surprisingly, because I came in pretty agnostic about where we took it. The only thing I insisted on was that we somehow revamp it and reinvent it for the 21st century.”
New Cast
Terminator: Dark Fate will feature the return of both Schwarzenegger and Hamilton, as well as newcomers Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna, Diego Boneta, Jude Collie, and Mackenzie Davis.
Reyes, known best for Lady, La Vendedora de Rosas and the Netflix film Pickpockets, will play Dani Ramos, a young woman who’s been targeted for termination by a new form of Terminator (Luna). Luckily for her, a soldier-assassin named Grace, played by Blade Runner 2049‘s Davis, has been sent to protect her.
Collie will play a younger John Connor, with Edward Furlong’s facial likeness being applied using CGI.
The New Terminator
American actor Gabriel Luna will portray a new version of the deadly Terminator in the upcoming movie. Unlike past versions, Luna plays a Terminator that’s made of liquid metal who is capable of splitting into two separate units. He’s been sent to terminate Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes).
Fans will likely know Luna best for his portrayal of Robbie Reyes a.k.a. Ghost Rider on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but for those seeking more of the actor’s work, he also played Tony Bravo on Matador and Paco Contreras on Wicked City, as well as starring in films like Bernie (2011), Balls Out (2014), and Gravy (2015).
Tim Miller
Back on September 12, 2017, Skydance Media announced that director Tim Miller, known best for Deadpool and Love, Death and Robots, will spearhead the new Terminator movie alongside Cameron.
While discussing the next Terminator film with HR, Miller revealed that his exit from Deadpool 2 opened the doors for Dark Fate.
To some degree, all the stories that I love are based on pre-existing materials as either a book I love or a movie I love. And I don’t make a whole lot of distinction between those two things. Story is story. I mean, I wanted to make Deadpool 2. I was going to do that, until I wasn’t. So, there was that, which took up about seven months of my time. But even then, David and I were talking, like after Deadpool 2, it was going to be this [Terminator].
Miller went on to explain that although he was looking forward to creating Deadpool 2, he has no hard feelings and wishes them the best.
I felt like there was more stories to tell there, but I’m happy that somebody else is telling them. And I’ve got to tell you, there was a sense of relief in that I get to do something new versus Deadpool 2. I think it would’ve been a great movie, but it was also going to be a continuation of what we had done. This really is gave me a chance to do something new.
New Trilogy
Under the supervision of both Miller and Cameron, a new Terminator trilogy is on the horizon, with writers David S. Goyer (Blade, Man of Steel), Justin Rhodes, and Charles H. Eglee (The Shield, Dexter) signed on to create the story for the new wave of Terminator films. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles creator, Josh Friedman, has also been brought on board to help with the story.
Here’s what Cameron had to say about the future of the Terminator franchise
The question is — has the franchise run its course or can it be freshened up? 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. … 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.
