One of the main reasons Terminator: Dark Fate stands out from its immediate predecessors is that it features the return of Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor, who she hadn’t played for nearly 30 years. It was a major achievement that the filmmakers convinced Hamilton to return to the franchise, but does this mean she’ll stick around for a Dark Fate sequel? Judging by her below comment, probably not:
I've been threatening to fake my own death so I wouldn’t have to do the next one if there is one. It really was hard, it was the hardest and the greatest I’ve ever done.
Okay, so Linda Hamilton is clearly joking with that answer, but that doesn’t take away that performing in Terminator: Dark Fate was exhausting for her, though also incredibly rewarding. And she’s not the only actor who found Dark Fate to be a difficult endeavor. Here’s what Mackenzie Davis, who plays the cybernetically-enhanced human Grace, had to say about the production during their interview with The Daily Mail:
It was so hard making this god damn movie.
The last time Linda Hamilton appeared on screen as Sarah Connor was in Terminator 2: Judgement Day, one of those few sequels that’s widely considered to be just as good, if not better, than the original. She did vocally cameo in Terminator Salvation, but obviously getting to jump back into action for the R-rated Terminator: Dark Fate is a way bigger deal.
Regarding her decision to return to the Terminator franchise, Linda Hamilton said the following:
I was worried too. I just wanted to let the film have the same impact. I didn’t see [the return] coming ever… It never occurred to me that we’d be coming back and that I’d get to do this again.
We’ll just have to wait and see if Linda Hamilton decides she wants to take part in another Terminator movie or if Terminator: Dark Fate is truly her swan song. Actually, we’ll have to wait and see if Dark Fate gets a sequel at all. Because while it could serve as the first entry in a new trilogy, Paramount Pictures hasn’t given the green light to a second installment just yet.
Obviously box office performance will be a big part in determining what the future of the Terminator franchise looks like, but judging from the early critical reaction, Terminator: Dark Fate is standing on much better ground than Salvation and Genisys. Admittedly, it’s falling into mixed-to-positive territory, but that’s better than the overall negative reaction those other two movies received.
Along with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton reprising their respective roles, as well as Mackenzie Davis as Grace, Terminator: Dark Fate stars Natalia Reyes as Dani Ramos, Gabriel Luna as the Rev-9 and Diego Boneta as Miguel Ramos. Deadpool’s Tim Miller directed the movie and James Cameron helped work on the story, though he was too busy with the Avatar sequels to ever visit the Dark Fate set.
Terminator: Dark Fate opens in theaters on November 1, so keep checking back with CinemaBlend for continuing coverage. You can learn what other movies are coming out before the year is over in our 2019 release schedule.
