The next outing in the Terminator franchise will be an anime series on Netflix from movie rights holders Skydance Media / David Ellison (Terminator Genisys, Terminator: Dark Fate).
When initially reporting on the Terminator Netflix Anime project our editor stated the following:
“Could the new series wipe the slate clean and start again with new characters? Will it reinstate beloved characters or feature the future war in all its glory?
Do the studios plan to continue the Terminator: Dark Fate storyline in anime form in an attempt to circumvent the termination of the Skydance and Paramount trilogy?”
Endo Morgan
It’s still a very good point; could this be a way to continue on from a theatrical marker, be that Terminator: Dark Fate, or even Terminator 2: Judgment Day? Or could each episode tell a different tale like ‘The Animatrix’ which was released to tie in with Matrix sequels – Reloaded and Revolutions?
At this stage fans have no clue what the plans are for the story but, at this point, anything could happen.
There are many story avenues for the project to potentially go down. Could we be going head first into the future war – especially as so many fans have expressed / are expressing that’s where they want the franchise to go (Terminator Salvation took the risk to try and do this)? Or could it be doing present day, maybe even a mix of both?
If the studios did do something like The Animatrix then it could be an experience of foreboding tales involving humans and machines over the course of history, and the genesis of the machine take over.
In the last Terminator outing (T:DF) James Cameron and David Ellison threw a new future into the mix, the one ruled by Legion’s “synthetic intelligent machine network”. The SkyNet-ruled future is the one fans are most familiar with, and the one in which machines bearing the resemblance of Arnold Schwarzenegger come from. Could the Terminator Anime somehow find a way to cohesively meld alternate futures and other artificially intelligent enemies, or will the anime series take a more simplistic and linear approach to the Terminator universe and default back to the fans beloved A.I. SkyNet?
Financially an animated series also has to be much less of a risk than a movie like Terminator: Dark Fate which was reportedly reaching past the $400 million dollar mark with budget and marketing combined,- it will also be interesting to see if any original actors from the movies will be drafted in to voice familiar characters, or even new ones. The Anime will certainly grant a lot of creative freedom.
It remains to be seen if the series will resonate with Terminator Fans but Production I.G are highly respected by Anime fans, and the material Mattson Tomlin (Mother/Android, Project Power) has prepared for the show will truly define how successful it is.
If the Anime isn’t successful then it won’t be the large scale embarrassment of box office failure and another failed start at a three picture goal by studios.
No doubt Skydance are playing safe and letting some healing take place within the franchise before attempting another theatrical outing, but Skydance’s owner David Ellison will definitely be counting the numbers on how many of us have binged the Terminator Anime.
What would you prefer the Terminator Anime Series to be, a continuation of a theatrical outing, or a completely fresh take with new stand alone stories? Let us know what you think in the comments below.