Lacey Bridges
James Cameron’s been as quiet as a brand-new dishwasher these past few years but the iconic director of “Avatar”, “The Terminator”, “Titanic” and “Piranha II” (heehee) will be getting reacquainted with cinema audiences over the next couple of years as he offers us new instalments of both the “Avatar” (snooze) and “Terminator” (booyah!) franchises.
In all-encompassing article discussing those upcoming projects, and lots more (like the Ginger Meggs currently playing CEO of the USA), Cameron talks to The Daily Beast.
On the “Terminator” franchise, of which he’ll regain the rights to in 2019, Cameron spoke about whether or not he feels the series has been hijacked in recent years (and as a consequence, the films since his have been shite). He gives a diplomatic but transparent response.
“It hasn’t been hijacked. It’s really just stumbled along, trying to find its voice again. There’s probably some degree to where it’s lost relevance, you know? Maybe the things that made it good back then are kind of a yawn now. It’s easy to remember fondly the things that kick off a franchise. It’s hard to keep a franchise vigorous, and relevant. I haven’t had my hand on the tiller since Terminator 2, and that was 1991. So what’s that? Twenty-six years? But look, I think it’s possible to tell a great Terminator story now, and it’s relevant. We live in a digital age, and Terminator ultimately, if you can slow it down, is about our relationship with our own technology, and how our technology can reflect back to us—and in the movie, literally, in a human form that is a nemesis and a threat. But also in those movies, in the two that I did, it’s about how we dehumanize ourselves. In a time when people are being absorbed by their virtual-social world, I mean, just look around. I always say: if Terminator was about the war between the humans and the machines, look around any restaurant or airport lounge and tell me the machines haven’t won when every human you see is enslaved to their device. So could you make a relevant Terminator film now? Absolutely.”
Cameron will be busy with the “Avatar” sequels, so he won’t be directing the new “Terminator” instalment – he’ll play godfather to it, with Tim Miller (“Deadpool”) directing.
As for when he officially begins production on “Avatar 2”? He says August.
“…my focus isn’t on Avatar 2. My focus is on Avatar 2, 3, 4, and 5 equally. That’s exactly how I’m approaching it. They’ve all been developed equally. I’ve just finished the script to Avatar 5. I’m now starting the process of active prep. I’ll be working with the actors in the capture volume in August, so I’m booked in production every day between now and then. Our volume is up and running, and everything is designed, and so we’re going full-guns right now. I feel like I’ve been let out of jail, because I’ve been in the writing cave for the last two years. I’m actually enjoying life. I don’t enjoy writing. I wouldn’t wish writing on a dog.”
