“I’ll be back…” again, and again, and again it seems.
With the inclusion of next year’s new Terminator film, the franchise will have produced six films over a 35 year period, despite a glaringly dramatic downgrade in quality after the second film, 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
Although the story is unknown right now, Terminator 6 is stated to be a direct sequel to Terminator 2: Judgment Day, thus dismissing the likes of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Terminator Salvation and the recent reboot, Terminator: Genisys. Essentially, audiences watching Terminator 6 will have to pretend that the last 15 years of new Terminator films don’t exist – can it be that simple?
The production of Terminator 6 does boast a few surprise names: the return of Linda Hamilton, who has been on a mainstream hiatus since Dante’s Peak; Deadpool’s Tim Miller as director, and James Cameron himself, but only as a producer and advisor as such. Of course, Arnold is back again, though his inclusion has added speculation regarding his character in the new film (remember the ending of Terminator 2?) – he did, however, publish a nice picture on his Instagram of himself and Linda Hamilton, in a “then and now” style. Additionally, Terminator 6 will also feature the likes of Mackenzie Davis (Blade Runner 2049), Gabriel Luna (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) and Natalia Reyes (Lady).
Hopefully, Terminator 6 can establish itself as a seminal piece of contemporary sci-fi cinema, and with a 62 year-old Linda Hamilton, can provide film fans with a kick-ass older female character – something far from present enough in mainstream genre cinema.
Ultimately, there is a feeling that, no matter who returns to the Terminator franchise, a new Terminator film will most likely be sh*t. Sadly, when looking at Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Terminator Salvation and Terminator: Genisys (the best of a bad bunch), there is validity in this negative stance. Linda Hamilton’s return does score nostalgia points and representation potential, plus James Cameron’s minimal return does suggest a glimmer of hope. Will you be back in the cinema to watch a new Terminator film?
Let us know!