REPORT
Terminator 6 May Not Be
Dead Yet
T
here were several highly successful franchise relaunches in 2015 (Jurassic World, Star Wars: The
Force Awakens, Creed), but Terminator: Genisys
was not one of them. Despite the nostalgia trip of seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger in his iconic T-800 role once
again, the reboot was seen as one of the more lackluster
tentpoles in the summer movie season. Panned by critics upon release, it struggled at the box office – making
just $89.7 million in the states. However, it received a
massive financial boost from the international markets,
and its global haul ended
up being $440.6 million,
on a $155 million budget. While Genisys ended up not being a total
wash, it was hardly what
distributor
Paramount
was hoping for. After
the film’s disappointing
performance, the studio
announced that future
plans for the franchise
were being “readjusted”
before removing the previously scheduled sequels from the release
calendar. It would appear that a Terminator 6
is not in the cards at all
now, but according to Arnold Schwarzenegger, a
Genisys follow-up could still become a reality one day.
While talking with Channel 9 in Australia (via Telegraph),
the action star was asked about the chances another
Terminator film is made. His answer was simply, “I’m
looking forward to it, absolutely.” That’s hardly an official confirmation, but it does indicate that Paramount
has not completely killed the project yet. If that were the
case, Schwarzenegger would most likely have a different response, perhaps one reflecting on the failings of
Genisys and why it’s best to not go back. It will be interesting to see if the Terminator series has a future or if
Paramount just lets it be. The studio isn’t exactly hurting
for a franchise; they’re moving ahead on an expanded
universe for the billion-dollar Transformers property and
the modern Star Trek films are still going strong with
Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto signed on for a sequel
to this summer’s Star Trek Beyond. They could be bet-
ter served further investing in those brands instead of
trying to continue something that did not excite many
moviegoers. There aren’t a ton of people clamoring to
see more of the new Terminator world, meaning that additional sequels could yield diminishing returns for the
studio.At the same token, there are ways to salvage a
Terminator 6 and get people enthused for more stories
set in the world. The franchise’s mythology runs deep
enough that filmmakers can take a page from the Marvel or Star Wars playbook and craft adventures about
new characters fighting indestructible killing machines
(without handcuffing themselves to the Connor family).
Dark Horse did that in the comic book medium during
the 1990s, so all it would take is a director with a vivid
imagination to bring something new and fresh to the
franchise. If Paramount is game for a sixth film, that may
be the best way to go. That said, ever since the release
of James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the
series has been on a steady decline. Three films in a
row haven’t impressed viewers, including Terminator 3
and Terminator: Salvation. Since it’s been so difficult
to continue the series in the post-Cameron era, maybe
there isn’t anything left to do. Schwarzenegger is hoping
he gets another shot to play the T-800, but in the end, it
could just be wishful thinking on his part. Unless Paramount comes across a great idea for a narrative, Terminator 6 isn’t going to be high on their list of priorities.
21 | BOOM