James Cameron Officially Announces ‘The Abyss’ Special Edition Theatrical Release As Netflix Unveils A ‘Terminator’ Anime

James Cameron seems to have his head firmly in the “Avatar” clouds, as he plots the future of his sci-fi epic that will likely serve as the culmination of his filmmaking career. However, that doesn’t mean that James Cameron’s past is willing to fade away without a bit of a fight, as two of his most famous works are getting new life… in very different ways. Let’s welcome back “The Abyss” and “Terminator.” 

READ MORE: ‘The Abyss’: James Cameron Says His ‘Aliens’ Follow-Up Wasn’t A “Slam Dunk” & He “Overracted” After Test Screenings

First, and most likely foremost in the minds of film fans, James Cameron is finally making good on his promise of a remaster of “The Abyss.” Instead of all the talk from the filmmaker about the things he’d like to change, we’re getting results. “The Abyss,” a remastered 4K director’s cut of the sci-fi classic, is coming back to theaters in December. 

In an announcement video on Twitter/X, Cameron said the December release of the “Special Edition” will be the first chance people get to see the film he “actually set out to make, with some big surprises not seen in the original released version.” Over the years, he’s teased what this means, including versions of scenes that he wasn’t able to make happen. 

READ MORE: James Cameron Says He “Hopes” To Revisit The ‘Alita: Battle Angel’ Franchise & Possibly For Streaming

All that to say, if you haven’t seen “The Abyss,” this re-release is the preferred version from Cameron and will likely be a beautiful trip to the theater. 

But wait, there’s more…

You see, over at Netflix, the studio has decided to take “Terminator” and adapt it as an anime series. It’s unclear how much of this film will differ from the various films we’ve seen over the past several decades, but if nothing else, it’ll be interesting to see the franchise translated to animation. We also know that Mattson Tomlin, the writer who has helped craft “The Batman” franchise, is involved as well. 

Again, over on Twitter/X, Tomlin recently said, “I feel extraordinarily fortunate to be able to make art that is personally important to me, has something to say, but also connects to some of the biggest franchises in the world that dazzled my imagination as a kid, inspiring me to chase my dreams. I’ll never fall asleep to it.”

As a fan of the ‘Terminator’ franchise, I’m excited by the prospect of an anime series, just from a pure fanboy perspective. That said, given the lackluster results to rejuvenate the franchise in recent years, there’s earned skepticism that will be carried over. Fingers crossed that Tomlin, a very capable creator, has a fun take on the franchise. 

You can watch the trailer for “The Abyss” re-release, as well as the ‘Terminator’ announcement, below: