James Cameron's Terminator 7 could finally re-energize the Terminator franchise, but will also require some other remedies for its past failures. In the early '80s, James Cameron was struggling to make a name for himself in the film industry, and the 1984 sleeper hit The Terminator proved to be the big break he needed as a screenwriter and filmmaker. In The Terminator franchise, the rise of the A.I. defense program Skynet leads to mankind's downfall when the program turns on its creators and seeks to wipe out humanity. In order to save mankind's future, various human protectors and reprogrammed Terminators are sent back in time to protect to leader of the human resistance, John Connor.
Despite its early popularity, the Terminator franchise has long struggled to return to the heights of success it had previously achieved. That could finally change with the news that James Cameron himself has been scripting Terminator 7, but there are also other complications that prevent it from being either a surefire success or even an immediately realized project. Here is the best path forward for James Cameron's Terminator 7.
James Cameron Directing Terminator 7 Is The Franchise's Biggest Hope
As the creator of the Terminator franchise, James Cameron is unquestionably the man behind the greatness of the first two Terminator movies that would lead to their huge box office success and an enduring legacy among sci-fi and action movies alike. The trajectory of the Terminator franchise also shows that it has achieved its highest levels of success whenever he has been in the director's chair (Terminator 2: Judgment Day being 1991's highest-grossing movie.) Unfortunately, since Cameron stepped back from the franchise he created, the subsequent Terminator movies have had middling success at best.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was a relatively solid hit at $433.4 million worldwide, but still a substantial comedown from Terminator 2's $520 million haul. Terminator: Salvation and Terminator: Genysis would also both financially underperform, with 2019's Terminator: Dark Fate outright bombing with $261.1 million against a $196 million budget. Additionally, none of the post-Terminator 2 movies have seen the kind of rapturously positive reception as the first two. This could be an indicator that Cameron might be the filmmaker best suited to re-invigorate the Terminator franchise, but even then, complications are present.
James Cameron Directing Terminator 7 Is Very Unlikely Right Now
While Cameron might be willing to directly tackle Terminator 7, there are more than a few factors that prevent it from happening in the immediate future. To begin with, the 2023 Writer's Guild of America Strike has put a pause on movies and TV shows being scripted for the strike's duration. There is also the fact that Cameron himself has stated that he is waiting for real-world A.I. to further develop in order to better follow up on it with his Terminator 7 script. Arnold Schwarzenegger's claim that he will not return for any more Terminator movies takes him out of Terminator 7, barring a very persuasive pitch on Cameron's part for Schwarzenegger to return as the T-800 again. Then, there is the issue of Cameron's own schedule.
Since the 2009 release of Avatar, Cameron has been immersed in the world of the Avatar universe, scripting and directing the first two Avatar sequels and getting started on Avatar 3 and 4, as well. The success of Avatar: The Way of Water obviously makes the Avatar franchise Cameron's most immediate priority as director. Additionally, a sequel to 2019's Alita: Battle Angel (which Cameron co-wrote and produced) has also very much been on Cameron's radar. All of these factors combined make Terminator 7 a virtual impossibility in the immediate future, but that could be to the Terminator franchise's advantage.
A Longer Break Could Be Better For James Cameron's Terminator 7 Return
With the multiple failed efforts to re-start the Terminator franchise, there is good reason to think that another Terminator sequel is not likely to strike a chord, but that does not mean that it cannot do so eventually. Franchise revivals can make for great comeback stories, and the mistake of the Terminator franchise may that it has tried to deliver too many in too short a time period. Putting the Terminator franchise on the backburner for the duration of Cameron's Avatar and Alita commitments could be just what is needed to allow it to return to cinema screens with a proper feeling of being fresh with a built-in sense of anticipation.
Franchise returns or long-awaited legacy sequels like Mad Max: Fury Road, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, or Top Gun: Maverick have often been received well in the mainstream and been big box office hits. Indeed, Top Gun: Maverick is second only to Avatar: The Way of Water among 2022's highest earning movies, and with both being sequels coming long after their predecessors, they could exemplify the best approach for Cameron's possible revival of the Terminator franchise (while Terminator 7 ditching time-travel would also be a smart move.) The Terminator may one day be back, but a wait until after Cameron has wrapped up Avatar and Alita could give its return the impact that has long eluded it.
