Iconic sci-fi franchises do not come much bigger than The Terminator, and while it looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger has hung up his leathers, James Cameron has previously hinted at a new movie being in the works. Before that, though, the Terminator saga is getting a whole new story, and a completely different look in its latest iteration.
Since debuting in 1984 with The Terminator, the sci-fi action franchise has delivered a range of sequels, from the phenomenal (Terminator 2: Judgement Day), to the underrated (Terminator: Dark Fate), to those that should have been terminated before making it to screen (Terminator: Genisys). Now, the saga will continue with The Terminator: Metal, a new comic series from Dynamite Comics that will completely change the franchise.
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As per Dynamite’s press release, the series is written by Declan Shalvey and Rory McConville, who was quoted by Dynamite as saying:
“While continuing to explore Skynet’s machinations throughout history, we’re also taking readers deeper into the Future War era than ever before. Each issue will be a standalone tale that delves into the triumphs and tragedies of those caught in the eternal war with the machines, and the struggle to hold onto their humanity after the world has ended.”
In recent years, several big 80s sci-fi franchises have had unexpected revivals, and one of the most successful has been Dan Trachtenberg’s Predator reboot. Recently, Predator: Killer of Killers became a first for the former Schwarzenegger hunting ground, with Netflix streaming an animated anthology telling new stories set in the Predator universe that fans have never seen before. In many ways, that is exactly what The Terminator: Metal is doing.
While the Terminator franchise has mostly dealt with terminators being sent back in time to change the past, the series will follow Terminator: Salvation in throwing fans right into the middle of the Future War. This will include the introduction of thousands of terminators at the height of their power, delivering a terrifying vision of a future where AI is not just that Chatbot that can make a funny Pixar version of your dog.
As AI becomes more integrated in the world, Cameron’s franchise should be a cautionary tale of what can happen when you dabble too much in technology and forget that old piece of wisdom from Jurassic Park’s Ian Malcolm; Sometimes we are so busy asking if we could, we forget to ask if we should. With James Cameron himself recently highlighting AI as a potentially powerful part of the film industry’s future, perhaps the Future War is not going to be confined to the pages of The Terminator: Metal.
The new comic series will make its debut with The Terminator: Metal #1 on sale from October 22.
Source: Dynamite