Reviving The Terminator Franchise

Universal is considering relaunching The Terminator franchise after the announcement of a return to acting by one of the films original stars. Arnold Schwarzenegger whose stint as Governor is now over, recently tweeted his desire to return to his thespian roots, and this has boosted interest in reviving the franchise that could take advantage of 3D technology.

Exciting news. My friends at CAA have been asking me for 7 years when they can take offers seriously. Gave them the green light today.

Schwarzenegger appeared in ‘Terminator Salvation’ via CGI, and a new film might use similar techniques as part of a larger story.

Despite the fact McG hoped to continue the series, the lackluster response to ‘Salvation’ and the bankruptcy of Halcyon partners Victor Kubicek and Derek Anderson have terminated those hopes. Santa Monica-based hedge fund Pacificor nabbed the rights last year and the studios have been circling ever since.

The McG flick halted the franchise and lost sight of the main concept, gone were the visceral chase sequences and terminator battles, instead replaced with a gloomy apocalyptic melodrama. The elements which made the first two successful were the action face-off’s, the intrigue of time travel and the mission to change the future. Unfortunately the third installment duplicated the original aspects to it’s detriment; a sequel means more, just not more of the same.

Justin Lin who helmed the latest ‘Fast Five‘ flick and the previous three installments,  is reportedly being eyed by Universal to tackle the Terminator revival. They hoping to pair him with Chris Morgan, who also wrote ‘Fast Five’ and the upcoming Keanu Reeves actioner ’47 Ronin’. However there’s also a treatment that’s been read by Mike Fleming from Deadline,  that paves the way for a new direction in the franchise with original co-writer William Wisher writing a new outline for parts 5 and 6.

While it’ still early days, this might be the best indication that we could see a Terminator that’s reminiscent of the original concept.  William Wisher has scripted a detailed 24-page treatment for Terminator 5, and a 4-page outline for Terminator 6.

His new concept takes place in a post-apocalyptic battleground, where Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese interact before the fateful time-travel mission. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character would likely feature in the same context. There’s said to be new threats such as “Night Crawlers,” that are 4 1/2 -foot tall border sentries that spring up like mines and ambush rebel fighters with wrist mounted 10 MM pistols. Also fresh off the Skynet assembly line are cyborgs that can shape-shift and morph together, and are far more lethal than Robert Patrick‘s T-1000.

While there’s no guarantee the studios will develop this treatment, if the franchise is to move forward then it would benefit with one of the original writer’s on board. Fans of the series would like to see James Cameron return at least in a producer capacity to get things right, but that would be wishful thinking. With technology at a place where virtually anything can be created, an exciting concept will be required to offer a way back into the franchise.

Check out the original T2 teaser:

via: Deadline