After helming Deadpool, Tim Miller soon found himself in high demand. When creative differences with Ryan Reynolds led to the filmmaker walking away from the Merc with the Mouth's sequel, he set about rebooting the Terminator franchise alongside James Cameron, welcome news after Terminator Genisys.
Cameron gave that movie his seal of approval in a featurette, sharing praise he's since admitted regretting due to what a colossal disappointment it was.
While Dark Fate received positive reviews from fans and critics alike, it didn't make the necessary impact at the box office. Earning $62 million in North America and $261 million worldwide, the blockbuster was deemed a flop and the iconic franchise was put back on the shelf for what felt like the umpteenth time.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton have made it clear they'll never return to the Terminator franchise (even with Cameron now mulling over a reboot of his own), and the latter doubled down on that while speaking to The Hollywood Reporter.
Asked what she thinks is likelier, her returning as Sarah Connor or AI writing the next movie, Hamilton responded, "AI writing the next Terminator movie. And they kill me off before we start. That’s the best scenario."
"Shoot me. Shoot me! I’m very glad I did [Terminator: Dark Fate], but…I don’t do a lot of regret. I think in the end, it holds true that we regret what we didn’t do, not what we did. I’m very glad I went back. I loved [director Tim Miller], I love my ladies [Mackenzie Davis and Natalia Reyes], and while I can’t say I love the film, that’s because I was so attached to it. I only saw it once."
"I felt like it was too fast," the actress continued. "But we did so much good work, and it was the greatest time of my life, and the worst time of my life, all rolled into one film. I was 63 or whatever I was, and it was the hardest shoot. Every day it was like a triathlon: 'Now we’re going to swim for two hours and then we’re going to run for two hours.'"
It's a shame to hear this because it received far more positive reviews than previous reboots, Terminator Salvation and Terminator Genisys. However, its 70% score put it on par with Terminator: Rise of the Machines (in contrast, The Terminator has 100% and Terminator 2: Judgement Day sits at 91%).
Hamilton first played Connor in 1984's Terminator and reprised the role in T2: Judgement Day seven years later. She then bid "Hasta la vista" to the franchise before agreeing to return alongside Schwarzenegger in 2019's Terminator: Dark Fate.
What comes next for the franchise remains to be seen.