Terminator 6 Will Ignore Terminator: Genisys Entirely

Terminator 6 will ignore Terminator: Genisys entirely, star Arnold Schwarzenegger has confirmed. While the first two Terminator movies – which were both written and directed by James Cameron – are almost sacred texts for sci-fi and action fans, later entries in the franchise left audiences cold.


Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines has its fans, but has been criticized for recycling key elements of its predecessors and for having an over-the-top sense of humor. 2009’s Terminator: Salvation was sold as a return to form, but criticized fro its muddled storyline, plodding pace and Christian Bale feeling oddly miscast as John Connor. Terminator: Genisys was again billed as a fresh start and featured the return of Schwarzenegger, but aside from his performance nearly everything about the film was panned, and talk for a direct sequel quickly cooled after its release.


With James Cameron returning to the series for the sixth movie it was assumed Terminator: Genisys would be ignored, and now Schwarzenegger has confirmed just that to The Terminator Fans. The star was at an event called An Experience With Arnold Schwarzenegger in the UK, where he revealed other details about Terminator 6 – which he confirmed won’t be the actual title.


He confirmed that Linda Hamilton is currently training for her return as Sarah Connor, that Robert Patrick – who memorably portrayed the T-1000 in Judgment Day – won’t be involved, and that he’s due to receive the script very soon, which is based on a story by Cameron. He also said the film will begin shooting by March 2018.


While Schwarzenegger only confirmed Genisys would be ignored, it seems likely that Rise of the Machines and Salvation will also be overlooked. The timeline and continuity of the series has gotten messy across the various sequels and its doubtful audiences will complain if Cameron wants to wipe the slate clean. The reunion of Cameron, Schwarzenegger and Hamilton is a big reason fans feel hopeful for another installment, with a feeling that it will be the true Terminator 3. That said, it’s worth noting Cameron spoke in favor of Genisys and even appeared in a video singing its praises before release.


Still, there’s a certain comfort with knowing the creator of the series is returning to shepherd the project. While the storyline has yet to be revealed for Terminator 6, Cameron recently spoke in an interview about the themes the film will explore:

“I mean, a lot of the things that were science fiction in Terminator are now around us. You know, from predator drones… and actual discussions on the ethics on having a robot have its own kill decision possibilities, things like that; it’s actually happening. So, ‘Okay, maybe there is room for a film that examines these themes.’ It just has to be retooled for an audiences’ expectations from now.”