Terminator: The Franchise Refusing to Die
Wed, February 16, 2011 
We can already imagine the narrative they'll go with in order to sell this:
"You see, we realized that when people think of Terminator, they'll always think of Arnold Schwarzenegger and since he wasn’t in the last movie and that TV show, that's why they didn't do well!"
Technically, he was in Terminator: Salvation (Motion-capture technology with the help of look-alike actor Roland Kickinger). Then there was Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, the first film in the series without writer/director James Cameron but still headlined by Schwarzenegger. That didn't light a fire at the box-office either. People were throwing around terms like "underperformer" and "disappointment" when that was released back in July 2003. Terminator's time in the zeitgeist is over. But that continues to fall on deaf ears when there's a buck (hypothetical or real) to be made...
Last month, What's Playing first reported interest was picking up for a fifth installment by Universal, with Arnold playing multiple characters and a "certain director known for helming one of their franchises."
"TOLDJA" confirms their scoop (minus giving due credit, of course, and you wonder why I refuse to link them) and reveals the identity of their franchise helmer: Justin Lin. They're high on him after delivering two Fast & the Furious installments and his third Fast Five will likely continue the trend of eating up money when it drops on April 29.
Another Terminator movie is inevitable at the rate studios are going. Looking around for any and all properties with name-brand recognition and the least amount of difficulty to sell to movie-goers. But again, did they just sleep through the past eight years? Two expensive films, either of which were mega-hits, and a television series that failed despite an initial strong start. I'd say that's proof in the pudding people just aren't high on Terminator anymore.
Find something else, fellas...
Reader Comments (1)
I am curious to see where the series would go. Lin would be an interesting choice as director. Personally I didn't think ts was that bad, I liked it more then t3. But what ever happens should be interesting.