Terminator (franchise)
Terminator is an American media franchise created by James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd. It is considered to be of the cyberpunk subgenre of science fiction.[4][5] The franchise primarily focuses on a post-apocalyptic war between a synthetic intelligence known as Skynet, and a surviving resistance of humans led by John Connor. Skynet fights with an arsenal of cyborgs known as Terminators, designed to mimic humans and infiltrate the resistance. A prominent model throughout the films is the T-800, commonly known as the Terminator and portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Time travel is a common aspect of the franchise, with humans and Terminators often sent back to alter the past and change the outcome of the future.
Terminator
The Terminator (1984)
1984–present
- The Terminator (1984)
- Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
- Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
- Terminator Salvation (2009)
- Terminator Genisys (2015)
- Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008–2009)
- Terminator Salvation: The Machinima Series (2009)
- Terminator Genisys: The YouTube Chronicles (2015)
- The Terminator (1984)
- Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
- Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
- Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008)
- Terminator Salvation (2009)
- Terminator Genisys (2015)
- Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
- T2-3D: Battle Across Time (1996–2020)
- Terminator Salvation: The Ride (2009–2010)
- Terminator X: A Laser Battle for Salvation (2009–2015)
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The franchise began with the 1984 film The Terminator, written and directed by Cameron, with Hurd as producer. They would return for the 1991 sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day (or T2). Both films were critical and commercial successes. Subsequent installments, most of them produced without Cameron's involvement, saw less-positive reviews and diminishing box-office returns. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was released in 2003, followed by Terminator Salvation in 2009. Salvation was intended as the first in a new trilogy, which was later scrapped after the film rights were sold.
Cameron was consulted for the 2015 film Terminator Genisys, a reboot branching off from the timeline of the original film. It was negatively received and performed poorly at the box-office. Cameron had a larger role as a producer of the 2019 film Terminator: Dark Fate, a sequel to T2 that ignores the three preceding films. Genisys and Dark Fate, respectively, were also produced as the first installment in a planned trilogy, but both were cancelled due to poor box-office performances.
Outside of the films, Cameron co-directed T2-3D: Battle Across Time, a 1996 theme park attraction. It was produced as the original sequel to T2 and reunited its main cast. A television series, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, was developed without Cameron's involvement and aired from 2008 to 2009. It was also produced as a T2 sequel, taking place in an alternate timeline that ignores the third film and subsequent events. Terminator Zero, an anime series, is scheduled to premiere in August 2024. The franchise has also inspired several lines of comic books since 1988, and numerous video games since 1991. By 2010, the franchise had generated $3 billion in revenue.[6]
Franchise rights[edit]
Before the first film was created, director James Cameron sold the rights for $1 to Gale Anne Hurd, his future wife, who produced the film, under the strict provision that he be allowed to direct it.[10] Hemdale Film Corporation also became a 50-percent owner of the franchise rights, until its share was sold in 1990 to Carolco Pictures, a company founded by Andrew G. Vajna and Mario Kassar. Terminator 2: Judgment Day was released a year later.[11][12] Carolco filed for bankruptcy in 1995 and its library was subsequently acquired by StudioCanal, which continues to own the franchise today.[1][2][3] However, the rights to future Terminator films were ultimately put up for auction. By that time, Cameron had become interested in making a Terminator 3 film.[13][14] However, the rights were ultimately auctioned to Vajna in 1997, for $8 million.[15] Vajna and Kassar spent another $8 million to purchase Hurd's half of the rights in 1998, becoming the full owners of the franchise.[15][16] Hurd was initially opposed to the sale of the rights, while Cameron had lost interest in the franchise and a third film.[17]
After the 2003 release of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, the franchise rights were sold in 2007 for about $25 million to The Halcyon Company,[18][19] which produced Terminator Salvation in 2009. Later that year, the company faced legal issues and filed for bankruptcy, putting the franchise rights up for sale. The rights were valued at about $70 million.[20][21] In 2010, the rights were sold for $29.5 million to Pacificor, a hedge fund that was Halcyon's largest creditor.[22][19] In 2012, the rights were sold to Megan Ellison for less than $20 million, a lower price than what was previously offered. The low price was because of the possibility of Cameron regaining the rights in 2019, as a result of new North American copyright laws.[23][24] David Ellison and Skydance Productions produced Terminator Genisys in 2015.[23]
Cameron worked together with David Ellison to produce the 2019 film Terminator: Dark Fate.[25] As the film neared its release, Hurd filed to terminate a copyright grant made 35 years earlier. Under this move, Hurd would again become a 50-percent owner of the rights with Cameron and Skydance could lose the rights to make any additional Terminator films beginning in November 2020, unless a new deal is worked out. Skydance responded that it had a deal in place with Cameron and that it "controls the rights to the Terminator franchise for the foreseeable future".[26]
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Future[edit]
In December 2022, while promoting Avatar: The Way of Water, producer and director of the first two Terminator films James Cameron revealed that another series reboot was "in discussion, but nothing has been decided". The reboot would likely feature an entirely new cast and reset the continuity of the entire film series. Cameron suggested that in hindsight, bringing back both Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton for Terminator: Dark Fate had been a mistake.[49][50] In May 2023, Schwarzenegger stated in an interview that he would not appear in any future franchise installments after the last few films were "not well-written".[51] Later that month, it was reported that Cameron was developing a script for a Terminator reboot.[52] In February 2024, Hamilton stated in an interview that she would also not appear in any more future installments feeling that she did all she could in the franchise and thought the story had been "done to death". She also questioned the idea of rebooting the franchise again stating "Why anybody would relaunch it is a mystery to me."[53]
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Canceled projects[edit]
Terminator Salvation trilogy[edit]
In May 2007, the production rights to the Terminator series had passed from the feuding of Andrew G. Vajna and Mario Kassar to The Halcyon Company. The producers of the company hoped to start a new trilogy based on the franchise.[121] However, due to the box office failure of the fourth film and legal troubles, the Salvation trilogy was ultimately cancelled. William Wisher, who co-wrote the first two films, had written material for a potential Terminator 5 and Terminator 6 that would follow on from the events of Terminator Salvation. The two-part story would involve an element of time travel that brings back the deceased character of Sarah Connor, allowing her to interact with Kyle Reese beyond their initial meeting in the first film. Schwarzenegger would also reprise his role for the sixth film. The films would also include new Terminator villains from Skynet. Wisher had written a 24-page film treatment for Terminator 5 and a four-page concept outline for Terminator 6.[122][123][124]
Terminator Genisys trilogy[edit]
By December 2013, there were plans for Terminator Genisys to be the start of a new trilogy of films.[125][126] In September 2014, Paramount announced release dates for the two Genisys sequels: May 19, 2017 and June 29, 2018.[127] Terminator Genisys producer David Ellison described the film and its intended trilogy as standalone projects based on Cameron's original Terminator films. Ellison stated Terminator Genisys is neither a sequel or a prequel to the previous films, saying: "For us this is Terminator 1, this is not Terminator 5".[128] The sequels to Genisys were tentatively known as Terminator 2 and Terminator 3.[128][127][129] The two sequels were to be filmed back to back during nine months of continuous shooting.[130]
The storylines for the two sequels were devised by Genisys writers Kalogridis and Lussier.[131][128] The trilogy was being planned out before Terminator Genisys began filming, as producers David Ellison and Dana Goldberg wanted the full storyline finished ahead of time rather than having to "figure it out as you go along", stating: "We spent a lot of time breaking that down, and we do know what the last line of the third movie is, should we be lucky enough to get to make it".[132] Production on the sequels was contingent on whether Terminator Genisys would be successful;[132] development of the trilogy stalled in 2015 after the film's disappointing box-office performance.[133][134][135] The planned sequels were ultimately cancelled,[136] with Terminator 2 being removed from Paramount's release schedule in January 2016.[129]
The new trilogy would have explained who sent Pops back in time to protect Sarah Connor.[137] In February 2015, Schwarzenegger stated he would reprise his role as Pops for the second film in the trilogy, with filming set to begin in 2016.[138] Jai Courtney and Matt Smith would also reprise their respective roles as Kyle Reese and Skynet.[139][140] J. K. Simmons would have had further involvement in the new trilogy,[137] and Dayo Okeniyi would have a significant role reprising his character Danny Dyson in the second film,[137][130] which would have focused on John Connor's life after becoming part machine. Jason Clarke said about the cancelled Genisys sequel:[136]
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