James Cameron Confirms He's Writing A New Terminator Movie - But There's A Catch

Although James Cameron has been committed to his Avatar franchise, which includes the upcoming Fire and Ash, the time for him to work on other projects has been limited. However, the filmmaker recently confirmed that he's been working on a new Terminator movie.

Speaking with CNN, Cameron said he is currently working on the screenplay for the seventh movie in the Terminator film series, which he initially teased in 2024. Unfortunately, the director says he's "having a hard time writing science fiction right now" and wonders if real-world events will overshadow anything he has planned. "I'm tasked with writing a new Terminator story. 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," he admitted. "We are living in a science fiction age right now."

Given the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence and the unstable political landscape, Cameron realizes it's a different world than when he directed the initial Terminator entries. Cameron helmed The Terminator and its beloved sequel, Judgment Day, which premiered in 1984 and 1991, respectively. The Arnold Schwarzenegger-led movies rank among the best sci-fi films in history, becoming critical and commercial smashes following their releases.

Image via Orion Pictures

However, Cameron hasn't led a Terminator movie since Judgment Day, with the 21st-century entries in the franchise earning far less glowing reviews without his direction. The filmmaker's tease about making a new Terminator movie, the first since 2019's Dark Fate, was met with excitement from fans. However, Cameron insisted the film would feature fresh characters and a new story, essentially acting as a franchise reboot

"This is the moment when you jettison everything that is specific to the last 40 years of Terminator, but you live by those principles," he told Empire in 2024. "You get too inside it, and then you lose a new audience because the new audience care much less about that stuff than you think they do. That’s the danger, obviously, with Avatar as well, but I think we’ve proven that we have something for new audiences."

The wait for Cameron's first non-Avatar movie since the record-breaking Titanic is nearing three decades. But that streak is on the verge of ending, as Cameron is developing a film adaptation of multiple Charles Pellegrino books, Last Train From Hiroshima and Ghost of Hiroshima, chronicling survival stories from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings during World War II.

Though Cameron admitted the film will be one of his most challenging to bring to life, he's excited about telling the project, which he said will right a significant wrong from Christopher Nolan's WWII psychological thriller, Oppenheimer.

Avatar: Fire and Ash Ends Pandora Saga

Fire and Ash, the threequel in Cameron's Avatar, will be the last installment set on Pandora before the future sequels take place on Earth. The film promises high stakes and emotions, chronicling the Sully family's battle with a new villain as they process old wounds caused by the death of Jake and Neytiri's son, Neteyam, in The Way of Water.

Cameron promises a nuanced tale about overcoming grief in Fire and Ash, with early reviews of the movie indicating it will be a tearjerker for audiences. Sam Worthington and Zoë Saldaña return as Jake and Neytiri, with Sigourney Weaver (Kiri), Stephen Lang (Colonel Miles Quaritch), Kate Winslet (Ronal) and Britain Dalton (Lo'ak) also returning from The Way of Water.

Fire and Ash, which faces high expectations after the first two Avatar movies became two of the three highest-grossing films in history, will be followed by two sequels that Cameron fully intends to make despite rumors to the contrary. The next two Avatar movies are scheduled for 2029 and 2031 theatrical debuts, respectively.

Avatar: Fire and Ash opens in theaters on Dec. 19.