James Cameron Says There’s ‘More Than a Plan’ for More Terminator Movies

Plans are being made for more Terminator movies.

James Cameron’s The Terminator, which stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton, was released in 1984. It kick-started a franchise that led to five other theatrically released movies, including 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day, 2003’s Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, 2009’s Terminator Salvation, 2015’s Terminator Genisys, and 2019’s Terminator: Dark Fate.

There was also the popular Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles television series that premiered in 2008 and ran for two seasons, along with a recently released anime show, Terminator Zero, that is now available to stream on Netflix.

What did James Cameron say about future Terminator movies?

Speaking to Empire Magazine, Cameron — who directed Terminator 2: Judgment Day in addition to the original movie — said that there is “more than a plan” to keep the franchise going.

“It’s more than a plan,” he said. “That’s what we’re doing. That’s all I’ll say for right now.” 

Cameron’s exact involvement in any future Terminator movies remains unclear at this time, as the Titanic director is busy working on his Avatar sequels, the next of which will be released in 2025.

Cameron did say, however, that it will be vital to tell new and different kinds of stories in the world of The Terminator moving forward.

“You get too inside it, and then you lose a new audience because the new audience care much less about that stuff than you think they do,” he said. “That’s the danger, obviously, with Avatar as well, but I think we’ve proven that we have something for new audiences.”

He continued, “You’ve got powerless main characters, essentially, fighting for their lives, who get no support from existing power structures, and have to circumvent them but somehow maintain a moral compass. And then you throw AI into the mix. Those principles are sound principles for storytelling today, right? So I have no doubt that subsequent Terminator films will not only be possible, but they’ll kick ass. But this is the moment where you jettison all the specific iconography.”