TERMINATOR: DARK FATE Director Admits Killing John Connor Was One Of The Movie's Biggest Mistakes

TERMINATOR: DARK FATE Director Admits Killing John Connor Was One Of The Movie's Biggest Mistakes

After delivering a hit with Deadpool, filmmaker Tim Miller dropped a bomb with Terminator: Dark Fate. Now, he's shared his take on why the movie likely didn't connect with audiences. Check it out...

By JoshWilding - Nov 05, 2024 08:11 AM EST
Filed Under: Terminator
Source: Variety (via SFFGazette.com)

After putting himself on the map as a director with 2016's Deadpool, Tim Miller quickly found himself in high demand. When creative differences with Ryan Reynolds resulted in the filmmaker walking away from Deadpool 2, he set about rebooting the Terminator franchise alongside James Cameron.

The Avatar director had praised Terminator Genisys in a featurette for the disappointing 2015 effort, something he'd later share his regret over due to what a colossal disappointment Alan Taylor's reboot was.

In comparison, Dark Fate received mostly positive reviews from fans and critics but failed to make a significant impact at the box office. Earning $62 million in North America and $261 million worldwide, the blockbuster was deemed a flop and the beloved franchise was put back on the shelf.

Despite being a major improvement over its predecessors - and the fact it featured the fan-pleasing reunion of original stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton on screen - there were still moments which failed to strike a chord with viewers. 

Among them was the fact Dark Fate opened with a T-800 gunning down a young John Connor (thereby creating a new timeline), a decision Miller has now acknowledged was a mistake while talking to Variety (via SFFGazette.com).

"Nobody sets out to disregard someone’s closely held childhood dreams. It’s no cause for vitriol," he tells the trade. "A lot of people didn’t like 'Terminator: Dark Fate' for reasons I had nothing to do with. One, because it was the sixth film and another because we killed John Connor at the start, but if Jim Cameron wants that to happen – which I agree with by the way – then that’s what you do."

For what it's worth, Cameron has previously taken responsibility for Terminator: Dark Fate's failings. "Our problem was not that the film didn’t work. The problem was, people didn’t show up. I’ve owned this to Tim Miller many times. I said, 'I torpedoed that movie before we ever wrote a word or shot a foot of film.'"

He puts that down to "getting high on my own supply" with Terminator 2: Judgment Day, a movie that focused heavily on Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton, a concept Dark Fate returned to by bringing together T-800 and Sarah Connor...again.

"We achieved our goal. We made a legit sequel to a movie where the people that were actually going to theatres at the time that movie came out are all either dead, retired, crippled, or have dementia. It was a non-starter. There was nothing in the movie for a new audience."

Giving his final thoughts on Terminator: Dark Fate, Cameron said, "I think the film’s cracking. I still think mine are the best, but I put it in solid third."

Cameron is now believed to be working on a Terminator reboot but it's currently unclear what form it will take or when it might actually become a reality. 

TERMINATOR: DARK FATE Producer James Cameron Explains What He Thinks Went Wrong With Tim Miller's Sequel
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WEAPONXOXOXO
WEAPONXOXOXO - 11/5/2024, 8:11 AM
User Comment Image
jst5
jst5 - 11/5/2024, 8:15 AM
@WEAPONXOXOXO - Bingo!
Order66
Order66 - 11/5/2024, 8:20 AM
Dark Fate was easily the best 3rd Terminator film however not by much.
DudeGuy
DudeGuy - 11/5/2024, 8:50 AM
@Order66 - I’ll gladly watch T3 and Salvation before Dark Fate
lazlodaytona
lazlodaytona - 11/5/2024, 9:11 AM
@Order66 - I loved it and T3 is my favorite. Yeah, I said it. T3, T1, then T2. F the rest (THO, dark fate was awesome too)
Arthorious
Arthorious - 11/5/2024, 10:07 AM
@lazlodaytona - I hear ya man, I’m one of the few people in the world (probably the only one) who loves the Lost World of Jurassic Park
Jacory
Jacory - 11/5/2024, 11:21 AM
@DudeGuy - seconded
PartyKiller
PartyKiller - 11/5/2024, 12:19 PM
@Order66 - It is easily shit.
Mercwitham0uth
Mercwitham0uth - 11/5/2024, 4:05 PM
@Order66 - I liked it as well.
AliX
AliX - 11/6/2024, 5:04 PM
@Arthorious - Thats my favorit of the Jurassic films.
Feralwookiee
Feralwookiee - 11/5/2024, 8:23 AM
"We made a legit sequel to a movie where the people that were actually going to theatres at the time that movie came out are all either dead, retired, crippled, or have dementia."

This is one of the most pompous douchebag comments from a guy who is already a prentenious twat.
Surely, there are millions of Gen Xers like myself who saw T1 and T2 when they first came out and are now in their late 40's or 50's and are not dead, crippled or experiencing dementia, and the vast majority of us can't afford to retire.

What about the millions of younger people who saw the movies later on DVD etc?
Is he suggesting they all just magically disppeared?

They made yet another sequel that no one asked for and made decisions that most fans didn't like.
Cameron pretending like "the audience for this is all dead or crippled" is pretty insulting and totally false.

There was certainly an audience for this, but the movie wasn't what they wanted.
Clintthahamster
Clintthahamster - 11/5/2024, 9:03 AM
@Feralwookiee - Came here to say this. T2 was a huge hit with kids and teens (like me!) If anything, Dark Fate hit at EXACTLY the right time, when the folks that saw T2 movie multiple times, played the arcade game, and bumped the soundtrack were hitting their 40s.
lazlodaytona
lazlodaytona - 11/5/2024, 9:14 AM
@Feralwookiee - You are correct. The dude is a straight-up ass. However, what sucks is he has like 4 of the 5 highest grossing films ever. Someone needs to kick him in the nards and make him uncapable for a few years.
MG0019
MG0019 - 11/5/2024, 10:01 AM
@Feralwookiee - How, HOW is it we live in 2024 with tremendous special effects, and still don’t have a movie set in the Apocalyptic Nightmare shown in the first 2 films?

Not the boring drab seen in Salvation; I’m talking 1980s TechnoHorror dark atmosphere with purple lasers and a b!tchin soundtrack!

That’s how you get a youn audience! Heck, nobody cared about TRON. But you give them a world designed around Daft Punk’s aesthetic? That set trends which spread beyond the film. You can YouTube all kinds of awesome new Syntheave playlists, Synth Horror, so much new material that perfectly matches Terminator’s original design.

John Connor and his merry band find Arnold, reprogram him, fight to get it into the Time Machine buried deep in Skynet. Start with that.
Feralwookiee
Feralwookiee - 11/5/2024, 1:59 PM
@MG0019 - I can't argue with any of this.
People have been asking to get a movie set in the future war time period and we've gotten nothing but some comics.

The technology and fx are there and the studio has the money, so IF they feel the need to do another Terminator movie, at least set it in the Skynet apocolypse.
slickrickdesigns
slickrickdesigns - 11/5/2024, 8:36 AM
Norman Reedus would make for an excellent adult John Conner.
Conquistador
Conquistador - 11/5/2024, 8:38 AM
@slickrickdesigns - Oh shit! That could totally work!
Clintthahamster
Clintthahamster - 11/5/2024, 9:03 AM
@slickrickdesigns - I wish Nick Stahl had kept his shit together. He was perfect for the role.
lazlodaytona
lazlodaytona - 11/5/2024, 9:16 AM
@slickrickdesigns - absolutely agree. Christain Bale was so wrongly cast as future John.
Fogs
Fogs - 11/5/2024, 9:45 AM
@slickrickdesigns - Holy shit, he would be perfect
Fogs
Fogs - 11/5/2024, 9:46 AM
@lazlodaytona - Yeap. Tho I don't hate Salvation, tbh. 3rd best Terminator film IMO.
99OPTIMISTPRIME
99OPTIMISTPRIME - 11/5/2024, 8:41 AM
Had the franchise ever figured out how to make John Connor a bad@$$, then it would've been printing money for a long time. Terminator Salvation, was such a missed opportunity.
PatchesOhulihan
PatchesOhulihan - 11/5/2024, 8:55 AM
@99OPTIMISTPRIME - I legit enjoyed Terminator Salvation. Its been ages since I've seen it and don't quite remember all the details, but having Bale as a badass Connor in a sequel, as the main character would have been great to see. Maybe they could have expanded the whole bionic man thing a little, so a few characters ,that were willing to risk the process for the greater good, could actually go toe to toe with the Terminators. Make it more of a Resistance/war movie instead of a time jumping/post apacolyptic/on the chase movie or whatever they've been.

I also think the whole T-1000( & I forget what the new one was called) style is over the top. Its just too OP, and the fact they defeated it once was lucky enough. Maybe pump the brakes and limit the "technology advancement" of the Terminators to short of being shape shifter metal goo...
lazlodaytona
lazlodaytona - 11/5/2024, 9:18 AM
@99OPTIMISTPRIME - Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles did do this. It is not only such an underrated show, but a huge undertreatment in the Terminator franchise.
lazlodaytona
lazlodaytona - 11/5/2024, 9:22 AM
@PatchesOhulihan - whatever. Bale sucked, proved himself to be an epic d1ck screaming at a crew member, and that film was pointless.

what happened at the end? Did they stop the war? NO. so, what's the point besides showing John Connor being a bastard. Hell, kinda makes me glad he got his ass blown away in the most recent Terminator.
MrDandy
MrDandy - 11/5/2024, 9:42 AM
@99OPTIMISTPRIME - or figured out NOT to make him a generic action star bad ass. The dude was basically an ace hacker and that’s why Skynet feared him.
PatchesOhulihan
PatchesOhulihan - 11/5/2024, 12:01 PM
@lazlodaytona - Oh this was the movie set where he had that meltdown at the crew? Well shite, and I honestly don't remember what happened in the end. Was it a "live to fight another day" ending? I just thought the concept of Sam Worthington's half man/half machine was cool, and could be explored further. And would like to see more of the all out war of men vs machines, and not just small groups of resistance here and there.
harryba11zack
harryba11zack - 11/5/2024, 8:43 AM
no shit
JonAwesome
JonAwesome - 11/5/2024, 8:45 AM
Actually the arc of John’s death and Sarah’s purpose in a world without her son and dealing with a Terminator that became more human over the years, is the best part of the movie. The new Terminator and the new chosen one and protector was just the same trick they have done to death.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 11/5/2024, 8:58 AM
@JonAwesome - exactly. There was so much potential, but they all brushed over in one (very well-acted) scene. The terminator/protector plotline should've come second to that
lazlodaytona
lazlodaytona - 11/5/2024, 9:24 AM
@JonAwesome - I completely agree. They didn't have to remove his chip.....
the machine figured out what was right by himself. Perfect story.
Forthas
Forthas - 11/5/2024, 9:29 AM
I liked the film, at least moreso than Genysis, but yeah killing John Connor was not the way to go. I think at this point the franchise would do better with a full on reboot which I think is what they were trying to do with Dark Fate in a back handed way. With so many failed attempts now, it is probably better to just do a hard a complete and total restart.
NodrickStripson
NodrickStripson - 11/5/2024, 9:36 AM
“Our problem was not that the film didn’t work. The problem was, people didn’t show up.”

People didn’t show up because the people who had seen it told everybody they knew how shit it was. The above quote is a perfect example of how blinkered people like James Cameron are to the views and the opinions of the people who make them money.
DarthNihilus
DarthNihilus - 11/5/2024, 9:36 AM
Salvation > Dark Fate > Rise of the Machine/Genisys
Ha1frican
Ha1frican - 11/5/2024, 9:37 AM
I thought it worked really well tbh, the biggest issue with this movie wasn’t even this movie. It’s that Genysis came out before it and ruined the brand before this one had a chance 🤷🏽‍♂️
MrDandy
MrDandy - 11/5/2024, 9:41 AM
Did they learn nothing from aliens? That being said, Dark Fate is still probably the best Terminator film post T2….though that also isn’t saying much.
Fogs
Fogs - 11/5/2024, 9:44 AM
"Our problem was not that the film didn’t work. The problem was, people didn’t show up"

hahahahahahaha
asherman93
asherman93 - 11/5/2024, 1:01 PM
@Fogs - Meh. It’s hardly the first time a good movie did poorly at the box office.
*looks at Blade Runner 2049 and Transformers One*
Spoken
Spoken - 11/5/2024, 10:09 AM
Genysis ruined the Terminator brand, where a "third" reboot just seemed like overkill. And I liked some concepts Dark Fate was playing with. Other than that it's another Terminator movie that tries to bank on nostalgia while trying to sell off being new and fresh.

A "new and fresh" idea would of been focusing on the character "Carl" or focusing on a Terminator who has completed his mission and is now wandering the planet awaiting Judgement Day. Far more interesting than Terminators being sent back through time to fail at their mission over and over again.
LegendaryOutlaw
LegendaryOutlaw - 11/5/2024, 11:15 AM
I really liked Dark Fate. I like the idea of Sarah Connor basically stepping up to effectively protect the next version of her. I think the only problem with that is that it’s sort of a rehash with some new stuff sprinkled in. Gabriel Luna was a great villain though.
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