If you had hoped the Terminator franchise would just go and wind down, today is not your day: as announced by Paramount, Annapurna, and Skydance pictures, Terminator 5 will not only open on June 26, 2015, but is a reboot that marks the beginning of a new, “stand-alone trilogy.” Although we can go back and forth theorizing as to what the use of “stand-alone” would signify — and if this is a full-on reboot that abandons all four previous installments — let’s not. In essence, this news only confirms the returning Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s promise of a January start date, with Laeta Kalogridis (Shutter Island) and Patrick Lussier (Drive Angry) scripting. The rest is up for speculation.
Either way, what a geek summer that should be: Star Wars: Episode VII, Jurassic Park IV, Independence Day 2, Terminator 5, The Avengers 2, Man of Steel 2, Pirates of the Caribbean 5 — a collision of the old and the new that’s almost unheard of. I’ll be so happy if any one of them are good.
Two smaller, less categorically important release date bits: perpetually delayed Jeff Bridges action vehicle The Seventh Son will now hit on January 17, 2014, while the Robert De Niro–Sylvester Stallone boxing comedy Grudge Match has been moved up to December 25.
Does this sound like a good direction for the Terminator franchise? Where do you think it could go?