With Avatar: Fire and Ash finally in theatres, James Cameron is now turning his cameras towards a new Terminator movie, but revealed a shocking update that Arnold Schwarzenegger wouldn't be cast in it.
In a recent interview to The Hollywood Reporter, James Cameron said, "Once the dust clears on Avatar in a couple of months, I’m going to really plunge into that," he said. "There are a lot of narrative problems to solve. The biggest is how do I stay enough ahead of what’s really happening to make it science fiction?"
Schwarzenegger has starred as T-800 in Cameron’s sci-fi saga since the original 1984 film, but the director has now confirmed the actor will not feature in the next instalment as "it’s time for a new generation of characters" to take the helm of the franchise.
"I can safely say he won’t be [in it]," Cameron confirmed. "It’s time for a new generation of characters. I insisted Arnold had to be involved in Terminator: Dark Fate, and it was a great finish to him playing the T-800. There needs to be a broader interpretation of Terminator and the idea of a time war and super intelligence. I want to do new stuff that people aren’t imagining."
The actor had previously skipped 2009’s Terminator: Salvation when he served as Governor of California.
When probed about the details of the upcoming Terminator movie, the award-winning filmmaker said he was "working on it". He further elaborated that he isn't interested in doing callbacks aimed at appeasing fans akin to what Alien: Earth TV show had done. "I’m not criticizing it, but I was there for Aliens, what, 41 years ago?" he said. "Something like that wouldn’t be of interest to me."
Cameron also emphasised the need for stepping outside the comfort zone. "The things that scare you the most are exactly the things you should be doing. Nobody should be operating artistically from a comfort zone," he shared.
His most recent film Fire and Ash debuted in theatres worldwide on Friday. According to the plotline, Avatar: Fire and Ash begins with Jake and Neytiri's family grappling with grief after Neteyam's death. During the same time, they encounter a new, aggressive Na'vi tribe called the Ash people, led by the fiery tribe leader, Varang, who has allied with Jake's enemy, Quaritch, as the conflict on Pandora escalates to devastating consequences.
The film has a runtime of 3 hours and 15 minutes, making Fire and Ash the longest film in the Avatar franchise.
Returning for Avatar: Fire and Ash, are Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Britain Dalton, Trinity Bliss, Jack Champion, Bailey Bass, and Kate Winslet. Oona Chaplin, who is known for playing Talisa Maegyr in Game of Thrones, is portraying Varang, the leader of the Ash People. David Thewlis, who is known for playing Remus Lupin in the Harry Potter franchise, is playing Peylak in the film.
