Terminator 6… what will it be; what should it be? What should they do? Who should they cast? What time period should it be set in? BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH! Every time they announce another Terminator movie we go through the same motions and we usually end up with a mediocre movie that makes no mark beyond the summer market it was initially created for.
One thing which is certain is that time has been wasted by Hollywood and the window for the movie we wanted, and have waited since 1991 to see, is closing fast… but it is still possible to make it!
The Sequel to Terminator 2 that the Majority always wanted (but never thought could happen so late down the line) could finally happen! Thanks now to David Ellison bringing James Cameron on board to “Godfather” Terminator 6. Recent news also suggests that the movie could be going back to its independent film roots and hope is finally returning to a hardcore fan base that might have given up on the franchise.
James Cameron now producing Terminator 6 could be the closest we will get to the REAL T3 and we should embrace it as Hollywood’s chance to get it right for the fans. Yes, this means ignoring the last 3 Terminator movies, which really isn’t hard to do… in fact we have already washed our hands of them… of course we will still mention those movies and report news on them but it doesn’t mean we enjoy it.
We think it’s time to bring back Cameron’s CANON and reconnect with his cast and characters once again. In fact those of you that have followed this website long-term will know we have been rambling on about wanting a true Terminator 2 sequel for a long time now.
We don’t want to see any form of reboot, reset or reboot-in-disguise which is what T3, Terminator Salvation and Terminator Genisys were; THEY WERE ALL REBOOTS! The time travel element of the franchise (although minute in the first two films) seems to be the kind of easy out that the studios love… almost saying “it doesn’t matter to care about quality of continuing the story let’s just cut it- shut it and sell it,- we’ll stick a big name in it and hope it sells”, instead of making a real Terminator sequel to the second movie that is 100% CANON. We are still waiting for a real and true trilogy!
We are going to discuss some of our ideas for what we think the movie should be about and how it would all be bound together in a way that harks back to the first 2 Terminator movies (also with a damn fine Detective story arc like Jim did in the first movie) without being a cynically marketed, homage-riddled, merchandising ploy crafted by detached suits with no real idea of fan expectations.
Bring Back Original The Terminator and T2: Judgment Day Cast Members for Terminator 6!
Ever seen a series or a soap opera where they suddenly changed one actor out for a different one and in that move made,- that choice taken… canon goes out the window; it can take a long time to re-adjust and accept the new casting- but in a movie your brain is flat out telling you that this is not the same character you cared about in the first place… especially if the casting is not as perfect as it was first time around… it does not WORK!
Here are the poll results we had for returning original cast members for Terminator 6!
In our poll Linda Hamilton (29%) was favorite to return to the franchise as the mother of the future SARAH CONNOR, followed VERY VERY closely (a 1% margin in fact) by Arnold Schwarzenegger (28%)- The Terminator himself and Michael Biehn (21%). We also must note that votes for Michael Biehn’s return might have been more equal to that of Linda and Arnold had his character (Kyle Reese) not died in the first film. Each actor is 1/3 of the success of the franchise start up and they are loved dearly. Showing that love for the cast of the first movie is strongest among the hardcore fan base. Terminator 2 was a great sequel but the first movie IS Terminator in its purest form (remember the gritty dark horror?) and that’s the tone the next movie should strive to achieve once again but also including the slick action of Terminator 2; an interesting continuation of intriguing characters that made the story and movie dynamic and engrossing!
Our dream Terminator 6 Cast is right here… and the majority of these very actors (the sole T2 stars) were cast by the late Mali Finn, so why not let her brilliant talent at casting live on in Terminator 6!
The fans want it and the franchise desperately needs it. The Terminator franchise without Linda Hamilton is like the Alien franchise without Sigourney Weaver, it just feels like a gaping hole.
Below is a composite image we put together of Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor once again as we have never doubted her capability of returning to the franchise and kicking machine ass! Linda Hamilton is an extremely credible actress and she made us believe in the first two movies…
We also feel that she deserves to be in a Terminator movie where she doesn’t need saving all the time, Ellen Ripley never needing saving from Aliens, so why does Sarah Connor need saving from Terminators? It was totally acceptable for Sarah to need saving in the first movie but by the end of the movie she was transitioning into the character we saw in Terminator 2.
Terminator 6 should continue the legend by showing Sarah Connor present day (not too distant future- what say 2020?), where is she, what happened to her, did she get locked up again? Is she still off the grid? Is she still badass crazy or is she more focused now and tired of all the impending doom bullshit, sick of running,- both her and her son have been denied a normal life and we need to explore that in a realistic way. Most importantly of all Linda Hamilton should be consulted on where she would like to take the character and how she feels she wants to play the character in a proposed Terminator 6, this is an opportunity James Cameron can offer her. This would be vital in giving Linda a role she would be interested in portraying as an actress. She is a top favorite for a return and a lead role we consider vital in a Terminator 2 Sequel. We don’t want a bullshit cameo, we want a fully fleshed out lead role for this fantastic character, Linda Hamilton is Sarah Connor!
Linda Hamilton is also a good signal provider if a script sucks… because she will turn it down just like she did with Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines but she has never been offered to a return since, even though she has been open to offers and has even stated that she would be more willing to return to the franchise if Jim Cameron was involved with the project. Now Jim is involved the likelihood of her being involved has increased, providing James Cameron doesn’t want to take a different direction!
Some fans want him back, some have expressed that they don’t (it’s a free country after all and we are all allowed an opinion)… but the majority that do want to see Arnold back want to see him as a Rogue Villain Terminator Unit once again… just as Linda Hamilton returning as Sarah Connor would cause huge waves- so would Arnold stepping back into the role that made him a household name… we would love to see him BACK, more scary and more deadly than the first movie.
There is also no denying in the poll results which show Arnold and Linda as the top two favorites to return to the franchise!
Below is a composite poster of Arnold Schwarzenegger as the villain and we would like to see him back dominating the theatrical posters once again.
The MAJORITY of fans are now very tired of friendly programmed Terminators, it worked for T2 but it is just plain annoying now. We have expressed that hero good guy Terminator just feels like a contractual political choice and not one that feels like anything else. The spin in Terminator 2 was a nice flip of the coin but beyond that it just feels like each protector programmed Terminator movie role (3 movies to be exact) has now caused a huge desire and demand among the fan base for Arnold to play the title villain once again, him being the villain again would certainly feel more fresh and exciting; seeing as he only played the villain once in the entire franchise- in the first movie (ignoring the CGI bad T-800 in Salvation of course).
We think one of the biggest reasons that some fans have expressed that they don’t want Arnold back is because he is not playing the villain, even we have doubted his return at times if he contractually is locking the good guy hero Terminator because we are not feeling it and it has become stale and we also wholeheartedly believe the reason Arnold has not had success with the franchise (to the extent that he did with the first two movies) is also down to this fact- and of course a lack of James Cameron and some other key creative team members that were involved in both original movies, so if we can make Arnold bad again, on top of James Cameron’s involvement, then Arnold might have a big chance of a huge career comeback,- one that we are sure his fans would love to see. We prefer to be honest and not yes say up Arnold’s asshole because the sad fact is if that smoke blowing is stopping success and potential then it certainly isn’t helping Arnold out, it is overall and in the long term damaging him. It is the equivalent of telling someone that what they are wearing looks great when in fact it looks stupid… only when they leave the house do good intentions go down the toilet- when everyone in public is smirking, laughing, pointing and mocking.
Playing the ultimate villain THE TERMINATOR did wonders for Arnold’s career the first time around, maybe he can ride that wave once again and damn we would love to see him BIGGER and BADDER than EVER!
Make him a Panzer tank T-800 Terminator again, ditch the grey wig, this will make Arnold look way younger- and he is in better shape now than he was in Genisys. No one said aging Terminators had to go grey or that they had to be aging elephants in the room, in fact; don’t even acknowledge his age… explain it in a character bio or a novelization, Terminators self repair, they don’t have stiff old man joints for fucks sake, if a door hinge squeaks you oil it! But showing that in a movie would be boring! We don’t need any major upgrades just a standard T-800 powerhouse (living tissue over metal Endoskeleton). Removing friendly Terminators from the scenario will bring the threat back of the T-800. Make Arnold the only Terminator in the movie and the biggest threat! Come on Arnold, let’s see you kick ass without being a CGI shadow of your former self!
NO CGI please! Let’s see the horror icon return even more deadly than ever before to become the king of horror icons! Have him say very little once again and let James Cameron write his dialogue, monosyllabic (mostly) to the core. Make it a character performance of motion and movements/efficiency and the uncanny.
We really don’t need some new fangled CGI Terminator anti-alais blurring its polygons and rendering its way all around theater screens,- we believe going back to basics of practical effects would be far more impressive. Terminator 6 won’t be the last Terminator movie but it will be one of Arnold’s last Terminator movies, so why ruin it with altering a perfectly designed character, instead put the focus on showing the T-800 using its skills and environment in exciting new ways as ‘it’ not ‘he’ relentlessly tries to TERMINATE the heroes of the movie!
Arnold’s performance in the first Terminator is very memorable and faultless, can he top that performance? Can he be as relentless today as he was in 1984? Just like we believe Linda Hamilton is capable of a big return, we think Arnold is fully capable of a groundbreaking return to form as the ultimate villain and possibly one of the best goddamn horror icons of all time (if not the best in our opinion) THE TERMINATOR.
A human role for Robert Patrick as an opposing force to the Connor’s; an official LAPD cop/Detective (although would be nice to see him in the cop garb again – undercover as a plain clothes officer maybe? An excuse to bring back the name badge that was a nod to producer Stephanie Austin and to continue that nod with this new character) looking for redemption, an obsessed detective hellbent on detaining the Connor’s (Americas most wanted for acts of terrorism against the mild mannered Cyberdyne Corporation) We could see a human role in which Patrick starts off as an antagonist and spends the majority of the movie as a brute force opposition to the Connor’s and later starts to potentially become a possible ally to Sarah and John Connor. After the infamous cop killer of 1984 appears back on major news channels- Robert Patrick’s character knows that where there is a cop killing Austrian… the Connor’s are never far behind!
Having Robert Patrick as a detective could also lead to a line in questioning by revisiting some familiar faces from the first two movies…
Robert Patrick would definitely be able to pull off an excellent immersive detective story arc that would bind the story together and put good and fast track reasoning for connecting us to the cast of previous movies; as he goes door to door harassing everyone ever involved in the mysterious events seen in The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day!
Robert Patrick’s detective plot line would be like the Traxler/Vukovich arc from the first movie (and Robert Patrick plays governmental roles very well), he has the power to display authority and conviction in such a role and it could be extremely interesting to see. Maybe this character is important and detrimental to SkyNet’s choice of likeness that it gave to the T-1000 prototype unit (a one of a kind) last ditch attempt to change the future.
Did this Detective come in contact with something he shouldn’t have at Cyberdyne Systems? :O
In a recent interview with Burly Attendant; Mark Christopher Lawrence (T2) we asked the following question…
Would you be willing to reprise your role as ‘The Burly Attendant’ in a future true sequel to Terminator 2 for a line of questioning by authorities/Cyberdyne, or perhaps your character is still working at Pescadero in a higher position of authority? If yes, how would you like to return?
Of course I’d jump at the chance to work with James Cameron again but I think it would have to be a better role. Maybe I’ve taken over the doctor’s position in the institution… (laughs).
This would be the perfect place for Detective Austin (Robert Patrick) to begin his line of questioning about Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton). It would make total sense that one of Silberman’s previous staff worked his way up the ranks and took night classes to get a PHD in criminal psychology, we think Mark would pull this role off very well as he opens Sarah Connor’s case file and fills in Sarah Connor’s back story quickly and efficiently for police questioning and for audience members who might not have seen the previous movies. He isn’t speaking to the audience in a convoluted manner but to the police in the story as a matter of fact!
Following this visit we could head to a fantastic cameo by…
Wouldn’t it be great to see Robert Patrick’s Cop character visit the retired Dr. Peter Silberman to answer some questions about Sarah and John Connor… a nice cameo in which Peter Silberman is forced to recount the events of Pescadero on the night of Sarah Connor’s escape, kind of like the rise of the machines cameo but much better and written with more thought- not just a throw away scene! We see his home, his PHD certificates on the wall, a more human side than we have ever seen of the character and vulnerable side in his older age. Let’s maybe see a different Peter Silberman for his final outing in the franchise, let’s meet his wife or maybe she recently passed away.
Sorry it took me so long to answer the door, I have a problem with my knee!
I can tell you one thing for sure Detective Austin “Sarah Connor is NOT crazy”!
After talking to Silberman a survivor of West Highland Police Station Massacre of 1984 is mentioned…
We didn’t see Hal die in The Terminator but we did see the suggestion he was blasted with a shotgun… in this case we would love to see a wheel chair bound bitter Hal Vukovich disabled from his encounter with The Terminator and with wounds from buckshot from the shotgun…
Seemingly in 1984’s The Terminator Hal Vukovich is supposedly “Terminated” OFF CAMERA by 2 different guns- there is nothing to say that another police officer was not also in the corridor that took the semi-automatic shots and one shot-gun blast went solely on Vukovich… the distance causing buckshot… the minute guns were pulled on Hal his instinct would have been to turn and run or to dive into the initial doorway he came out of when he unloaded bullets into the Terminator. He could well have survived and to have lived to tell the tale but would have received significant scarring and possible paralysis.
As Robert Patrick’s line of questioning continues he starts to weigh up that something is not right and all these people say something inhuman is at play…
Lance Henriksen was originally intended to play The Terminator (Cameron’s first choice) so we think it would be a great cameo and honorable to have him in the movie as a survivor- which would be a twist and a great way to bring back a another 1984 member of cast for even more authenticity to the plot of Terminator 6.
The inclusion of Henriksen also allows the character of Hal to talk about his partner Lt. Traxler and the events of the Police Station Massacre of 84; again tying us back to the first movie and strengthening the canon storytelling of Terminator 6.
Who wouldn’t want to see Hal Vukovich back one last time!?
It would be great to see the wife of Miles Dyson and reconnect to where she is at right now in her life too; she is perhaps now remarried, she will probably always love Miles but chances are she moved on for her own sanity and tried to rebuild a life for herself and her children after the events of T2 Judgment Day.
It would be great to see her again via someone who we would like to be one of the younger substantial lead cast members of the movie…
DeVaughn played the original Danny Dyson in T2 and is still acting! Later a vital part of John Connor’s team in the resistance for his tech/hacking capabilities. DeVaughn Nixon is a face that can continue on in the franchise beyond Terminator 6 long-term to continue canon continuity. Perhaps initially his characters return is focused on taking revenge on Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) for what he considers her involvement in his father’s death. When presented with the threat of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s The Terminator,- the revenge can totally switch to SkyNet, and Danny Dyson’s relationship with the Connor’s would become more unified and grow stronger to fight the true enemy together.
In the same way John Connor had tape recordings of his mother, Danny Dyson could listen to surviving audio (Joe Morton voice cameos) and recordings or home family videos of his father (behind the camcorder)- or voice tapes of his father (Miles) talking about his work on early development of SkyNet (before it became a government top secret project) but eventually coming to terms with the loss and understanding his father’s sacrifice for his family and the world itself. We loved Joe Morton’s Dyson and this is a way to continue that story and legacy for Terminator 6 as well as the Connor’s. With what begins as hatred for Sarah Connor turning into almost admiration and all demons laid to rest when he hears of his father’s heroic end direct from the mouth of Sarah Connor. Their relationship could develop into an almost parent child relationship concreting the notion that Sarah Connor is the mother of the future and humanity and that wherever she goes people will follow her for the greater cause and are willing to join her in her quest to ensure the survival of her son John.
DeVaughn Nixon is also sure to be eye candy for plenty of the Terminator Fan Girls out there so that should keep the investors happy in a movie which we would like to see feature heavily with a strong mature cast.
Ageism seems to run through the franchise and we blame Hollywood and the media for that which has seemed to have disallowed anyone over a certain age bracket from being able to maintain an A-list career in Hollywood, reserved only for a select few with the rest of the major movies requiring reboots with young casts and more emphasis on sex appeal than sheer storytelling and talent. For those that claim Arnold and Linda are too old to be back… you have either been brainwashed by a lost industry or you lack foresight and imagination! You are denying yourselves interesting movies by jumping on reboot bandwagons, then when the scales fall from your eyes you just sit their and moan after the fact- when it sucks!
At this stage of our dream casting we are seeing a team of individuals starting to come together, a pre-apocalypse group and the beginnings of the resistance who are fated to be brought together with Sarah Connor and John Connor leading the way, no longer seen as crazy but being believed truly for the first time, people willing to die to protect them to ensure John Connor’s safety and overall survival. Bringing this back to the biblical undertone of the franchise (aka John Connor = Jesus Christ) we are gaining disciples and followers who strengthen the cast and the story of Terminator 6 into being a true sequel to Terminator 2 and canon in its casting.
Now, the final two casting calls are pretty problematic.
Kyle Reese is dead and many hardcore fans would have extreme problems with him being back… but there are ways around this like the 2029/1984 comic idea that he didn’t die and was kept alive by the government and kept captive (but this was a bit of a stretch by Zach Whedon). The other way is to cast Biehn as Future War John Connor or a Kyle from another timeline that arrived in 1984 also but somehow never connected with the Connor’s until T6. Bringing back Michael Biehn needs a lot of thought and consideration and maybe the simple option is for it not to happen; for it is Kyle Reese’s death that spurs on the very character of Sarah Connor. This is not to say we couldn’t have a smartly executed future war cameo or a narration by Biehn. It may be smarter to completely resurrect the character of Kyle Reese with Michael Biehn starring in a totally future war set Terminator 6 video game for leading next gen consoles as a prequel to the very first Terminator movie; with the game play like a movie which is authentic and produced by Cameron too with perhaps some Terminator 6 Easter Eggs contained and nods to the theatrical movie. The other option is an animated R Rated movie spin-off, again, where Kyle Reese is the lead, this could be created by Lightstorm Entertainment with high end VFX ala avatar graphics.
Personally we would prefer something more subtle and less forced, for example we could hear Michael Biehn’s voice as Kyle communicating with John Connor for a cameo in Terminator 6 in the year 2029. Or how about we take the deleted scene from Terminator 2 and give fans a new Sarah Connor Kyle Reese nightmare or dream sequence in which modern day Michael Biehn exchanges a moment with Sarah Connor before crumbling to ash as perhaps an Endoskeleton emerges from within Kyle Reese.. We could even see Arnold Schwarzenegger’s THE TERMINATOR using the voice of Kyle Reese to emotionally and mentally manipulate Sarah Connor and John Connor in Terminator 6- that could be a very eerie scene of trickery, which would also make viewers think “oh shit when did this Terminator meet Kyle, in the future?” etc. this does not rely on CGI and then yes, have him star in a big budget video game prequel to The Terminator (1984) with an extremely high production level for an immersive story and violent R Rated video game. Biehn could be motion tracked, voice the entire game and the game could also have online capabilities for a war between man and machine. At this stage it definitely would make more sense for Hick’s to return to the Alien franchise (we still really want to see that happen) than Reese to return to Terminator but it could be possible with enough hair pulling and head scratching; but it really can’t be convoluted or it could damage Terminator 6.
Also one final option for Michael Biehn is to return as a Terminator but we think that should only happen if Arnold Schwarzenegger steps out the franchise, could Michael Biehn be the enemy of Terminator 7 if Schwarzenegger changes his mind about running for senate?
Another problematic casting call, judging by our poll; over half of our users would like to see Skydance offer Edward Furlong a second chance at the role but some fans are undecided… it could work, no one said John connor had to be perfect or couldn’t fall foul of addiction himself… we could indeed take Edward Furlong’s own turbulent lifestyle and integrate that with Terminator 6’s John Connor character, with his mother trying to bring him back from the brink of self-destruction to fulfill a destiny that he perhaps does not want (something briefly tapped on for 2 seconds in rise of the machines). The other option is to estrange John from his mother (or make him missing or not wanting to be found) and he does not even appear in the movie as his present day self. Another option re-cast totally.
Failing offering Edward Furlong a second chance; how about we introduce everyone to General John Connor instead who has traveled from the future to assist with Terminator 6.
For years we have toyed with who we would cast as John Connor and we recently revealed Clive Owen as our choice to play the great military leader.
Clive Owen is the closest we could get to looks of Michael Edwards; in toying around with concept ideas… we also believe Mr. Owen would play a future John Connor thrown to the present well and would really bounce and have good acting/on-screen comradery with Linda Hamilton.
Michael Edwards was approached for Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines but they deemed him as looking too old to play the role of Future War John Connor as Make-Up Artist Jeff Dawn told TheTerminatorFans.com in a past interview. Michael Edwards also was more of a model than an actor and was hired by Cameron more for his looks than his acting capability.
The interesting spin here could indeed be that mother and son are not that far apart in age and this could have some light comedic relief without being cheesy… what grown man (who won a war against the machines) really wants to be told what to do, or have his mother nagging him in car chase from a Terminator? But he loves her dearly and it would be his chance to have more time with her… to emotionally connect with in a franchise that was built on the foundations of relationships, love and core family values. Two legends collide and it could be the ultimate double team, throw DeVaughn Nixon into the scenario and we have a trio to go against the law, Cyberdyne and The Terminator itself!
Make it a present day movie that starts the foundations for a possible future war movie directed by Cameron in the near future:
So, as you can see, we very much want Terminator 6 to be a present day/pre-war movie, with a future war opening and perhaps a Sarah Connor/John Connor nightmare or flash-forward mid movie.
We would like the movie to set the foundations for when James Cameron returns and for him to be able to do a future war movie later when he has some free time from the Avatar series (if possible). We feel Jim has had too much taken away from him regarding Terminator; so please leave him to make a a full future war movie HIMSELF when he gets the rights back or studios will have exhausted and possibly wrecked all the material before he has a chance to reconnect with the franchise as a writer/director again.
Right now we want a bad ass REAL Terminator 3… impossible situations, real threats, foul language, blood squibs (we hate CGI blood), terminations and the tone of the first movie brought back to life. Minimal next to no CGI required, practical/miniature effects, back to basics, keep the budget down where possible, make this a dramatic storytelling horror thriller with elements of action and most importantly heart.
Providing the casting is strong, there are definitely cast members to carry on the franchise and to be involved when Cameron gets the rights back; even more importantly making Terminator 6 a revolutionary step in putting Terminator not only back on the map but repairing past damage done by reboots and commercialism.
A sequel all these years on is a challenge but with good imagination and writing it is totally doable and could be a landmark event and set a new trend for franchises that have gone down a similar road to the terminator franchise. Let this be the REQUEL/SEQUEL TO T2 that turns Hollywood’s imagination light bulb on and spawns a new wave of damage repairing sequels/requels that restore faith in Hollywood!
Simply call it TERMINATOR! It was the best loophole we could think of! If this T2 sequel is to be “The Real T3” Call it Terminator: 3D… but release the movie theatrically in 3D and 2D. and don’t make the movie a 3D gimmick movie but film it with 3D camera systems. That way when Skydance and Cameron release it for home release you’ll be buying the real 3rd Terminator movie, featuring a 4K 3D Disc a 2D Disc, a digital copy and special features including a documentary “Repairing a Franchise” and more great content.
Oh and more thing… if they don’t mention the arm/hand that got trapped in the cog in the steel mill as the basis for Cyberdyne to continue research for SkyNet then we will literally scream!
What do you think about the possibility of the mighty T1 and T2 cast returning for a true sequel to Terminator 2… let us know in the comments below!
