It's been roughly 23 years since we got Terminator 2: Judgement Day, the film that was considered the greatest sequel of all time and arguable one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time. T2 was released approximately 7 years after the first film, The Terminator in 1984. This was definitely worth the wait. T2 combined genres like a buddy-cop, sci-fi, thriller, it delivered it's own genre as a film. When looking at The Terminator, which was seen to many audiences as a horror,or famously a "TechNoir," a sequel was delivered as a masterpiece. It had set a whole new standard to Hollywood and sci-fi. It seemed as if a Terminator 3 wasn't needed but it was certainly anticipated. What happened?
Well, James Cameron went on to make True Lies and it seemed as if he was curious for a third Terminator but not as eager to start as if he was in the first one. The chances fell when Cameron directed Titanic in 1997 and it held the record for nearly 15 years. You would think that with all the money Cameron has, he'd go back to his baby and attempt to do it better with a much bigger budget but NO, he literally sat on his couch and never did never did another film until 2009. He's mega talented director but he has a big ego. Sadly, we won't ever get another Terminator from it's original father no matter how awesome it would be seeing Terminator film in the quality of Avatar.
That still didn't stop another Terminator movie from being made. We still got the abomination called Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines which basically retconned all the important morals from the first two but I try my absolute best at forgetting that movie all together. However, I really enjoyed Terminator Salvation. It had it's flaws, yes but it did give us the taste of the future. I feel that Christian Bale and Anton Yelchin did a marvelous job in it. But the film felt censored, I really wish that it was R-Rated with a much darker script. I would be so in, but I'll give it credit for making it more of a sequel to Cameron's first two than T3. Currently, it's been announced that a Terminator reboot, titled Terminator: Genesis is in production. I feel that the creative team have lost hope and can't seek any other option for the franchise than rebooting. It's highly unlikely getting a Terminator 5 now but if it were and if I were an exec, I'd pitch them my ideas.
It would be a dream come true seeing Ridley Scott directing a Terminator movie. The way he relaunched the Alien universe in Prometheus proved that he can resurrect any dead franchise. His take on Blade Runner and Alien proved a perfect combination for a Terminator movie. And after Prometheus, he showed that he can still do an excellent job with Terminator.
The perfect set of writers would be William Wisher Jr. (Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Judge Dredd) and Joss Whedon himself. If Terminator 5 lives like a continuation of the vision of the first two, it should get the same writer. William Wisher reportedly wrote an outline for T5 and T6, which consisted of a new set of Terminators, Sarah Connor surviving, and a twist that involved Arnold's return. It sounds almost perfect, but with a few touch ups from Joss Whedon, it'd be a masterpiece. If anyone can give Sarah Connor a bad ass, it'd be Joss. Joss also expressed interest a while back. I'd love to see him and William Wisher Jr. relaunch the franchise.
Give it an R-Rated script. The film should set in the gruesome, dark...and very depressing future we saw in that flashback in T1 and in the intro of T2. It didn't really well making it kid-friendly in Terminator Salvation so seeing the future James Cameron intended in the first two Terminators would be best fitting as an R-Rated film.
Christian Bale should definitely reprise John Connor. He was great at portraying Connor, he based his performance off of Sarah Connor's paranoia performance. That performance was inspired by Sarah's performance at the psychiatric hospital where Connor had some of the craziness in his blood. I feel that with a great script, he can be perfect. At the end of Salvation, we sorta saw a hint of the John Connor that we previously saw in the intro of T2. Also, he's currently working with Ridley Scott in Exodus, I'm sure he would work with a visionary like Ridley Scott again in the future.
What I adored about Looper was how good the prosthetic on Joseph Gordon-Levitt when making him a younger Bruce Willis. The same should be done with Anton Yelchin. I'd like to see Anton Yelchin try to mimic Michael Biehn's movements in The Terminator to portray a pre-Michael Biehn. It worked really well in Looper, I'm sure it'd work if they attempt a T5. That picture above shows how Anton Yelchin should look like in T5. The new trilogy can be like the story of Kyle Reese. Terminator Salvation can show the young Reese, Terminator 5 shows the transition to a Kyle as a young adult, and Terminator 6 can finally show Michael Biehn via unused footage and a body double, showing him going back in time to rescue Sarah Connor.
Last but not least, bring back Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold's been hitting the gym recently, he's looking great. With a good story explaining his age, I'm sure it would work. My idea would be to introduce him as a villain this time. Don't center the whole movie around him, just use William Wisher Jr.'s idea which has him return as a villain in the ending of T5, during a big twist. A cliffhanger leading into T6. He can be an aging Terminator, sent back in time shortly after Judgement Day, sticking around for 20 years, revealing his mission in Terminator 6, giving him a major role. Credit to TerminatorFans.com for this idea.
There was a rumor sometime ago which had the Rock rumored as a Terminator which I adore. He has the perfect look for it, like Arnold did in the first film. I'd love to see him as a villain or him being reprogrammed to face Arnold as the big baddie.
Well, that's my idea. Tell me what you guys think in the comments down below.