James Cameron on where he wants the Terminator: Dark Fate sequels to go

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

As the first reactions to TERMINATOR: DARK FATE have been surprisingly positive, I'd imagine that many of you may suddenly be interested in where the franchise will go in the future. As we know, James Cameron has said that although TERMINATOR: DARK FATE will be able to stand alone, they developed the story as a three-film arc. In a recent group-press interview, Cameron dropped a clue on which direction the sequels could go should DARK FATE bring in those sweet box-office bucks.

I feel like one of my major motivations on this film or coming back to the, hopefully, franchise, was to explore the human relationship with artificial intelligence. I don't feel we did that in Dark Fate. We set the table for that exploration, and that exploration would take place in a second film and a third film. And we know exactly where we're going to take that idea. What we wanted to get in the first movie was this idea that it's just going to keep happening. The names will change, but the basic conflict is going to continue to take place until it gets resolved one way or the other.

"I believe we’ve set that table and if, like I said, if we get the opportunity, we know where to take the story so that it doesn’t become," Cameron explained. "I think you start simple and then you elaborate, and you can elaborate over a series of films. If they’re made by the same people with the same intentions and the same philosophy, then there can be a kind of a story arc across multiple films. But that said, I think Dark Fate stands alone as a pretty good one-time story." Although Cameron knows that there's no guarantee TERMINATOR: DARK FATE will spawn additional sequels, he wanted to be sure that they didn't paint themselves into a corner should that day arrive, which is why there were multiple screenwriters involved in the film. Several weeks were spent breaking the story for the three movies in order to "future-proof" themselves, and to be sure that the plot line which runs through all three films would make sense. As this will be the third time that someone has tried to launch a new TERMINATOR trilogy, I can only wish them the best and keep my fingers crossed.

The official synopsis for TERMINATOR: DARK FATE:

More than two decades have passed since Sarah Connor prevented Judgment Day, changed the future, and re-wrote the fate of the human race. Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes) is living a simple life in Mexico City with her brother (Diego Boneta) and father when a highly advanced and deadly new Terminator – a Rev-9 (Gabriel Luna) – travels back through time to hunt and kill her. Dani's survival depends on her joining forces with two warriors: Grace (Mackenzie Davis), an enhanced super-soldier from the future, and a battle-hardened Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton). As the Rev-9 ruthlessly destroys everything and everyone in its path on the hunt for Dani, the three are led to a T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) from Sarah’s past that may be their last best hope.

TERMINATOR: DARK FATE will hit theaters on November 1, 2019.