Will We Ever See Another Terminator Movie?

It's been a couple of years since the last "Terminator" movie and while "Terminator: Dark Fate" attempted to revitalize the franchise, it apparently sealed its doom instead (via The Guardian). The film eventually made $261 million, according to Digital Spy, but was considered a huge dud when it released in November 2019 to a $29 million weekend in the U.S. Hollywood Reporter termed the release a case of "complete IP failure."

That's after the franchise began in 1984, racking up six movies and a television show, "The Sarah Connor Chronicles," along with comics, video games, and a few web series. Of course, "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" from 2003, "Terminator Salvation" from 2009, and "Terminator Genisys" from 2015 were retconned by the events of "Dark Fate," changing what's canon in the convoluted timeline of the series. However, those involved in the franchise's creation have been pretty quiet over the last few years, leaving fans worried that there may never be another adventure for Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800 Terminator or Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor in their war against Skynet.

Is that the case, though? Well, it's hard to imagine coming back from a failure like that in Hollywood, but if any intellectual property can do it, surely "Terminator" is one that can. Here's what we know about the possibility of a new "Terminator" at some point in the future. 

Gale Ann Hurd, who was a screenwriter and producer on the first "Terminator" and an executive producer on the second and third, recently spoke to Variety about the series, highlighting its potential even today. She said, "To give you some perspective, I used to have a scuba diving practice in Micronesia, and we found that they even screened 'The Terminator,' albeit a bootleg video version, of one of the most remote islands in the world. The awareness is already built in, and I do think it's a perennial with the right story with the right cast, and the right direction. I think there could still be a potential future there."

In late 2020 We Got This Covered reported that tipster Daniel Richtman had information that James Cameron, Hurd's ex-husband and director of the first two "Terminator" movies as well as producer of "Dark Fate," was interested in making another. "Despite the last one bombing, James Cameron still wants a new Terminator film and this one to be set during the war in the future like #4," the outlet reported. However, even if Paramount Pictures and 21st Century Fox were to greenlight another installment, Cameron would have a hard time finding room for it in his busy "Avatar" schedule.

Hopefully, if it does happen, a new "Terminator" will be done respectfully, with fans in mind. In the meantime, the franchise isn't wholly dead. Last month, showrunner Mattson Tomlin confirmed over Twitter that scripts for "The Terminator" anime, which is destined for Netflix, have been completed (via CBR.com).