Last night at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, there was a special event celebrating the 30th anniversary of The Terminator, which really doesn’t look a day over 25. We got a chance to talk with the father of the franchise, James Cameron, about the future of the killer cyborg universe and his current project on a moon called Pandora.
With** Terminator: Genisys** headed our way next year, we naturally wanted to ask Cameron what he thought about the new movie, with which he’s not directly involved but is watching with interest. “I'm friendly with the filmmakers, the writer Laeta Kalogridis has worked with me on projects,” he said. “I'm hoping it's great. I'd like them to get it right, and based on the script that I read there's a pretty good chance that it could. It looks like it could be fun.”
Is he worried that it could tarnish the legacy? “It's not my problem! It's like being a grandparent, the kids come over and you can send them back! When I walked away from the franchise, I had to do it with the sense that I can invest in emotion. To me, it's all upside, because if it's good, it's good for Arnold (Schwarzenegger), my friend Laeta and if it's not good? It doesn't bother me personally.”
The movement on the new film – or films, given that a trilogy is in the works – is partially inspired by the fact that the rights to the characters and ideas revert to Cameron in 2019. It doesn’t sound like he’s ready to re-visit the world any time soon, though. “I haven't really thought that far ahead yet. I've got plenty of time to think about it. It might be fun to completely re-invent the franchise,” he admits. “A lot has to do with what happens with it in the meantime, people may have Terminator fatigue.”
And what’s keeping him busy is his work on three – count ‘em – Avatar sequels, which are in development and getting set to start shooting. “I'm just visiting Earth tonight; I normally live on Pandora, where I work,” Cameron cracked. “We're gearing up, we're in the design phase right now, completing the drafts for three scripts. We've got a whole art department with walls plastered with amazing designs that I wish I could share with everybody, but that's what the film's for!”
The Terminator is available on Blu-ray now from MGM & Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.