James Cameron says he'd want to make the next 'Terminator' movie about AI instead of 'bad robots gone crazy'
- Filmmaker James Cameron said he's discussed a new "Terminator" movie but "nothing's been decided."
- He said he would want to focus it on artificial intelligence rather than "bad robots gone crazy."
James Cameron, whose new movie "Avatar: The Way of Water" hit theaters over the weekend, may not be done with the "Terminator" franchise he originated with the first 1984 film.
Cameron told the "Smartless" podcast during Monday's episode that he's had discussions about another "Terminator" movie, but would want to pivot from the cybernetic killing machines seen throughout the series thus far and focus more on artificial intelligence.
"If I were to do another 'Terminator' film and maybe try to launch that franchise again, which is in discussion but nothing's been decided, I would make it much more about the AI side of it than bad robots gone crazy," Cameron said.
Cameron didn't specify whether he would want to direct a future installment. His comments come on the heels of the rising popularity of ChatGPT, an AI chatbot from the company OpenAI.
Cameron returned to the franchise for the first time since 1991's "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" with 2019's "Terminator: Dark Fate," which he produced and conceived the story for. It was directed by "Deadpool" filmmaker Tim Miller, and reunited original stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton.
In 2019, Cameron told Deadline that "Dark Fate" could be the beginning of a new "Terminator" trilogy if it performed well enough at the box office.
"We rolled up our sleeves and started to break out the story and when we got a handle on something we looked at it as a three-film arc, so there is a greater story there to be told," Cameron said. "If we get fortunate enough to make some money with 'Dark Fate' we know exactly where we can go with the subsequent films."
But it flopped despite more favorable critic reviews than other recent entries in the franchise. It made $261 million globally, including just $62 million in the US, off of a $185 million production budget.
The franchise has had a rocky road in theaters for some time, and any future movies could face an uphill battle in attracting audiences.
2009's "Terminator Salvation," which starred Sam Worthington of "Avatar" fame, earned $371 million worldwide and cost $200 million to produce. 2015's "Terminator Genisys" earned a disappointing $440 million globally.