After two great films, and four bad to mediocre ones, It’s clear the “Terminator” franchise has ground to a halt in live-action following, Tim Miller’s underwhelming “Terminator: Dark Fate.” But given the premium place spent on time-spent as a metric in streaming, Hollywood’s found a lot of success in animation and anime, and thus another way to keep I.P. content churn churning. Appropos then, The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that rights holders Skydance are teaming with Netflix for a brand new anime series, based on the “Terminator” I.P., that will be handled by Japanese animation studio Production I.G, known for the “Ghost In The Shell” series and animated films.
The icing on the post-apocalyptic cake is that Mattson Tomlin will be the writer, showrunner, and executive production on the streamer’s anime series. Tomlin is on a tear lately, scoring coveted jobs left and write. He is co-writing the upcoming DC Comics film “The Batman” with director Matt Reeves, and is known for writing Netflix’s “Project Power. He is also developing a feature film based on the beloved Capcom video game franchise “Mega Man.”
James Cameron brought his iconic time-traveling killer robots to life in the 1984 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Its 1991 sequel “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” along with”Conan The Barbarian,” became career highlights for the action star. There hasn’t been a feature film installment without Schwarzenegger appearing, or his likeness used; in the case of “Terminator: Salvation,” a digital version of Arnold was used over a body-double.
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Considering studios have tried and failed multiple times to reive the “Terminator” film franchise, perhaps, a pivot to the world of animation might be the best way forward as they’re not reliant on box office dollars to continue. This won’t be the first time it’s graced the small-screen as Fox once aired the short-lived “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” which starred “Game of Thrones” and “Dredd” actress Lena Headey.
Given the animation format, Netflix could explore the grim future where humans are in an ongoing and deadly war with the machines. Rather than repeating commentary settings that feel like they’ve overstayed their welcome. Producer James Cameron had been talking-up ideas for a new film trilogy before “Dark Fate” faced issues earning money at the box office and winning over the fandom; it’s unlikely we’ll be seeing any new live-action movies anytime soon. But Skydance is aware. This is a chance to let “Terminator” take a break in live-action and live on in another format.