Recently THR's Matthew Belloni sat down with Terminator creator James Cameron and Deadpool director Tim Miller to discuss the new Terminator movie that was recently announced as being scheduled to be released July 26th, 2019. During the conversation, which was filmed and can be watched below, Cameron and Miller revealed that they have been secretly working on the project for the past twelve months. Miller who dramatically left production on Deadpool 2 after 'creative differences' with the movie's star Ryan Reynolds revealed that Cameron, of whom he has known for over a decade, was one of an army of voices that persuaded 20th Century Fox to greenlight Deadpool, which was Miller's directorial debut.
During the conversation below Miller and Cameron reveal that while Cameron oversaw the project and supplied the initial synopsis, it was Cameron and Miller together with David Goyer and Josh Friedman that the script for the new movie was developed. While it is confirmed that a trilogy is intended both Cameron and Miller were keen to iterate that the second and third movies will only go ahead should the first new Terminator movie be a success with fans and audiences.
While no plot details were explicitly revealed, what can be gleaned from the conversation is that the movie will feature an aged Terminator played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, with a battle-weary Sarah Connor, portrayed by Linda Hamilton, living with the consequences of the choices and decisions she made in the first two movies. Of particular promise was that Miller stated very vehemently that the movie will not take place in an alternate reality or timeline, stating that the consequences and costs of events that transpire carry more weight for the characters within a causality-based timeline.
There was also mention of an 18-year-old female protagonist along with talk of new characters to be introduced that would carry on the baton from stars such as Schwarzenegger and Hamilton. But by far the most interesting insight from the conversation was the duos polarizing views on what a true, sentient AI would be capable of in today's world, with Cameron reiterating the same concerns seen in the first two movies, whereas Miller appears more optimistic, imagining that a true AI would not exterminate us but more likely be greater than us and subsequently more enlightened, possibly even humankind's savior.
The many themes discussed and the evident drive and friendship visible in both Miller and Cameron does fill one with optimism that the new Terminator will be, as they proclaim "A F'ing great movie," and with Cameron having begun filming his much-delayed Avatar sequels and work soon to begin with Robert Rodriguez on the live-action adaptation of Battle Angel: Alita its possible that Cameron could once again dominate the movie industry and theaters over the next decade, that is if his four Avatar movies, three Terminator movies and Battle Angel: Alita prove a hit with audiences.
