The Terminator franchise has had a difficult time building a sustainable brand, but one more film in the series directed by the greatest science-fiction director of all time could be the perfect way to end it. While there are several different viewing orders for Terminator movies, the films are all interconnected and deserve a strong sendoff.

Featuring different models and machines across the Terminator stories, the franchise has focused on time-traveling robots sent back from the future to change their fate. While the first two films are celebrated as some of the greatest science fiction films of all time, the reputation changed, beginning with the release of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.

That film wasn’t bad, but it was certainly a step down from the acclaim of the first two installments. A semi-reboot followed in the future war setting of Terminator Salvation, before Terminator: Genisys and Terminator: Dark Fate attempted to reinvigorate the story with fresh twists of their own. Unfortunately, these failed to connect, leaving the franchise in a delicate place.

Terminator 7 Should End The Franchise

The Series Deserves A Proper Ending

Not every story can go on forever, and it would make sense if the next Terminator movie ended the series. The story of Sarah Connor, John Connor, and their fight against Skynet has been an incredible and exciting tale, but the script announcement for Terminator 7 has highlighted how much things have changed in the world.

As it stands, artificial intelligence is such a prevalent theme in the world, and that potentially dangerous technology needs to be explored through a different lens. Despite its dangers, AI has already infiltrated all aspects of daily life, and casting it as an ominous, destructive, and mysterious threat, such as Skynet, may feel too direct in its approach.

The Terminator franchise has tried to reinvent itself over the years. Genisys took the Sarah Connor story, but changed it with another layer of time travel, and Dark Fate‘s robots replaced Skynet with Legion, ᴀsserting that technology taking over the world was an inevitability. Still, both were hampered by baggage from the films that came before.

The idea of Terminators being terrifying figures sent from the future for nefarious purposes is rife with possibility in this contemporary climate, but there may be no more room for the heroic myth of John Connor. That story has been done several times in films, as well as in the excellent series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

The Terminator series, as it stands, is nearly at an end, but it would make sense for one more film to tie the stories together. Whether or not Linda Hamilton or any previous stars return to their roles, giving it a proper and distinct ending to its current story would be a great way to close off the franchise.

Only James Cameron Can Give Terminator A Proper Ending

The Greatest Director Of Our Time Started The Series And Could End It

James Cameron began the Terminator franchise with the first film and directed Terminator 2: Judgement Day, which is arguably one of the best movie sequels of all time. Cameron has regained the rights to the series and is currently working on a script for a seventh Terminator film.

A Terminator sequel will be hard to justify at this time. Dark Fate grossed only $261 million against a production budget of $185-196 million. With marketing and exhibitor costs factored in, the film lost the studio more than $122 million. Even with Cameron’s box office reputation, it is hard to justify making another sequel.

Still, Cameron is a skilled hand and only works on the projects that he feels most pᴀssionate about. тιтanic‘s box office was a surprise to many, and the director even had to forego much of his salary to get the film made.

With how instrumental Cameron has been in Hollywood, he would certainly have the clout to get this film made if he chose to direct. However, the director already has so much on his plate that it is difficult to figure out when he might be able to make another Terminator film.

Cameron has kept busy with the Avatar sequels, but Avatar: Fire and Ash is close to release, and the director may wish to do something else before returning to Avatar 4 and 5. He is signed on for a movie adaptation of The Devils, and has spoken about making Last Train from Hiroshima.

Cameron is very busy and is a perfectionist with his films, which has resulted in long gaps between releases. He is writing the script for Terminator 7, and it would be perfect if he could come back to direct the film.

Not every series can last forever, but Terminator deserves a strong goodbye. The series has introduced so many exciting concepts and characters to the pop culture canon, and leaving the series with Dark Fate feels unfair. Having Cameron come back to make one more film would be the perfect way to end it.