If there was one Hollywood franchise that epitomizes the dichotomy between a good movie sequel and a bad movie sequel, it’s James Cameron’s Terminator series. Across the rich sci-fi timeline, long-time fans have enjoyed genre-defining highs with T2: Judgement Day and persevered through the diminishing returns of Rise of the Machines and Salvation. Which camp Alan Taylor’s recently-released Terminator Genisys falls under is a question we’ll leave to you, but it’s one that franchise stalwart Arnold Schwarzenegger addressed during a Reddit Q&A.
In a talk that was by no means exclusive to the Skynet series, the action legend also touched upon the status of the mooted Predator reboot that Shane Black is attached to, and why neither of the sequels and/or reimaginings lived up to the beloved 1987 original.
“Sometimes studios do a great job at creating sequels, and sometimes they really screw it up bad. And it all has to do with greed. Sometimes they want to do it really cheap, and make as much money as possible, so they don’t hire the right cast, or the right director. And other times they want to rush it, because they want to have it come out next spring, even though now it’s already fall,” he said. “So far, no ‘Predator’ [movie], no matter which one they did after the first one, has been satisfactory to the audience. So I hope if Shane Black does another one, this one will be great.”
Last we heard of Black’s return to the creature feature, it was reported that the filmmaker’s take would be an “inventive sequel” as opposed to an out-and-out reboot. Whether said sequel has a place in it for Schwarzenegger is up for question, though the Terminator Genisys star remains hopeful for the future of the Predator series nonetheless.
“[Shane Black is] a very talented guy, and a great, great director, so if he would do it, it will become a great, great movie whether I’m in it or not.”
Tell us, do you agree with Schwarzenegger’s comments about movie sequels? Indeed, what was your opinion of Alan Taylor’s Terminator Genisys? Sound off in the comments below.