It's been a bumpy road for the Terminator franchise. Ever since the release of Terminator 2: Judgement Day, the series has endured some unimpressive sequels, with the latest attempt being the sequel/reboot Terminator: Genisys. Refusing to stay down for long, James Cameron is working on a new Terminator film that will ignore all post-Judgement Day sequels. Tim Miller is signed on to direct, but now a crucial member of the team has been found. Billy Ray, the writer of Captain Phillips, has been hired to write the screenplay.
According to The Wrap, Billy Ray has signed on to pen the screenplay for the sixth Terminator film. Ray is perhaps best known as the writer of Captain Phillips, the Tom Hanks drama about a ship captain who must protect the passengers of his vessel after it is taken over by Somali pirates. The writer's work on the film earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Ray has also written State of Play, Shattered Glass, and the first Hunger Games movie. Nothing on his resume particularly screams Terminator, but he does have a variety of films under his belt.
At least Billy Ray won't have to spend too much time catching up on the Terminator series to write his movie. The sixth film will reportedly ignore every sequel past 1991's Terminator 2: Judgement Day and will be a direct continuation of the iconic sci-fi sequel. Not much is known plotwise, but original stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton are expected to reprise their roles, with the goal that they will hand the series off to a new cast. The sequel will modernize the Terminator series, setting it in the age of smartphones and Amazon drones to address the emergence of AI in society. As far as continuity goes, just consider all the other movies as existing in an alternate timeline. Your Jai Courtney knowledge will do nothing to help you here.
James Cameron, who's busy trying to resurrect his Avatar franchise, is back in a producer capacity. Cameron wrote and directed the first two Terminator films, but didn't return for any of the following sequels or TV shows. Tim Miller, the breakout director of Deadpool, is set to direct the sixth movie. Billy Ray will complete the creative trio who are hoping to revitalize the stalling sci-fi franchise.
The new Terminator sequel does not yet have a release date but there are bound to be plenty of more updates on the movie. Make sure to keep it right here at CinemaBlend and we'll keep you updated with new information as soon as it becomes available. In the meantime, pour one out for Terminator: Genisys, which is now more than ever a huge waste of time.
