It probably won’t be long before Terminator fans can get either excited or riled up about casting news for Alan Taylor’s upcoming franchise reboot. But first and foremost, we need to be able to call this film something other than just "the Terminator reboot," and now we can, for better or worse. The preview for the upcoming issue of Production Weekly revealed the film’s tentative title will be Terminator: Genesis, which has all the appeal of a direct-to-DVD animated film. Somewhere out there, a Sega game system is mulling over a lawsuit.
Let’s put our opinions aside for a second to point out that the title isn’t exactly official yet, as it didn’t come from Paramount or Annapurna, but the reputable Production Weekly isn’t exactly known for feeding the rumor mill. While it seemed possible that the title could just as easily have referred to the recently announced Terminator TV project, especially since the upcoming TV spinoff NCIS: New Orleans is also on the list, the tweet below reaffirms that Genesis indeed belongs to the film.
Now let’s bring our opinions right back to it. While Salvation wasn’t the most exciting post-colon title for the last film of the franchise, it at least spoke to the basic idea behind the movie. All Genesis does is remind people this is a reboot and that they’re going to try and update the timeline it’s taken decades to wrap our heads around. Considering the storyline technically begins in the future before heading back to the past, the word "genesis" seems really misplaced here, unless Taylor and writers Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier figure out a way to tell an origin story that doesn’t feel like a complete knock-off. (I almost said "cheap," but we all know that won’t be the case.) Perhaps this film will revitalize the use of the Genesis title that recent movies like [REC]3: Genesis or Children of the Corn: Genesis have used less impressively.
There doesn’t seem to be anything particularly original about Taylor’s reboot, as we’ll once again be seeing our old friends John and Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese. According to recent rumors, the Sarah role will probably be going to either Emilia Clarke or Brie Larson, while the choices for male leads are reportedly tied to whoever plays Sarah.
Admittedly a film’s title doesn’t necessarily speak to the quality of the project itself, but one of the most successful franchises in cinema should aim for something memorable and a little less innocuous. I mean, I guess it’s better than something completely ridiculous and title trendy like Age of Terminator: The Last of the Rise of the Fall, but not by much.
Let us know in the comments what you think of the new title and check out the video below to see how The Terminator really should have ended.
