James Cameron Explains Why A New Terminator Film Is Hard To Crack: "We're Living In A Science Fiction World"

James Cameron explain why it is difficult to crack a new Terminator film despite having a stack of notes at least three inches thick.

In an interview with Gizmodo, Cameron discussed what he plans to do following the conclusion of his press tour for Avatar: Fire and Ash and he made it clear that working on a new Terminator film is part of his to-do list.

“I’ll have some time to write and to consider my next projects and the order in which I do them and so on once we’re done with the marketing on this in a month or so,” Cameron stated. “I’ve got a stack of notes this thick [holds fingers about three inches apart], which is how I start all my scripts, on what I want to do with a new Terminator film. I’m going to pour myself into that as a writer.”

From there, he explained why a new Terminator film has been difficult to crack, “It’s difficult. I have to tell you. Science fiction has caught up and is actually overwhelming us at this point. We’re living in a science fiction world, and we’re literally having to deal with problems that in the past only existed in science fiction books and movies.”

“Now we’re living it for real,” he continued. “I’ll never be as prescient as I was back in 1984 of imagining this one because I don’t think anybody knows what’s going to be happening a year or two years from now. But I at least want to future-proof myself by being a couple years out.”

Cameron’s comments are not out of the ordinary. Back in 2022, when he revealed he was in discussion to do another Terminator film, Cameron shared on the Smartless podcast, “If I were to do another ‘Terminator’ film and maybe try to launch that franchise again, which is in discussion, but nothing has been decided, I would make it much more about the AI side of it than bad robots gone crazy.”

In an interview with Empire in September 2024, Cameron said, “This is the moment when you jettison everything that is specific to the last 40 years of Terminator, but you live by those principles.”

“You’ve got powerless main characters, essentially, fighting for their lives, who get no support from existing power structures, and have to circumvent them but somehow maintain a moral compass. And then you throw AI into the mix,” he added. “Those principles are sound principles for storytelling today, right? So I have no doubt that subsequent Terminator films will not only be possible, but they’ll kick ass. But this is the moment where you jettison all the specific iconography.”

Similar to these most recent comments to Gizmodo, Cameron told CNN in September, “I’ve been unable to get started on that very far because I don’t know what to say that won’t be overtaken by real events. We are living in a science fiction age right now.”

NEXT: James Cameron Explains Why He’s Nervous About ‘Avatar: Fire And Ash’s’ Box Office Release