WithTerminator Genisyshitting theaters in just a few short days, many fans are wondering what’s next for theTerminator franchise, if this proves to be a big hit. Skydance Pictures has already set up two more sequels,Untitled Terminator 2, set for Jun 30, 2025 andUntitled Terminator 3, which will be released on June 27, 2025. Skydance is also developing aTerminator TV series, but we haven’t heard anything about it since the project was first announced back in December 2013, whenZack StentzandAshley Millersigned on to write the pilot script. While promotingTerminator Genisys, Skydance’sDavid Ellisonclaims that the TV show is still happening, although he wouldn’t offer any specifics about the story.
“It’s something that we’re developing as we speak. To speak kind of larger to that, one of the things we would love to do at Skydance-it’s a very lofty goal-is to build worlds across multiple mediums. And to me, I think everyone talks in Hollywood about franchises, ‘it’s a franchise business, it’s a franchise business’. I think that’s a slightly old-fashioned word, and I think it’s a world creation business. The dream for us would be to be able to obviously make films, television shows, we have a video game with Glu, comic books, and they all should be standalone experiences. If you just watch the movies or if you just watch a television show, it’s a complete experience. But if you are the kind of fans that we are over this material, and you watch all of it collectively, it all interweaves to feel like a larger universe that you can experience if you’re a huge fan of Terminator or any of the other franchises that we’re fortunate to work on, that’s really when you talk about the future of Skydance, one of the things that we really want to be a part of building.”
The initial report revealed that the show would start with an important moment from the original 1984 classicThe Terminator, with it then going in a completely different direction.Terminator Genisysand its sequels will be crafted to intersect with the TV show’s plot, similar to howMarvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.crosses over into the Marvel movie universe, but on a much larger scale. When asked if Skydance is leaning towards a network or a cable series for this untitled series,David Ellisonhad this to say.
“Our gut aspiration would be a cable-driven show for something likeTerminator. It’s amazing to be in the network space. We have not been a part of it yet, but obviously when you’re focused on making 13 episodes, it allows you to have more development time to dive deeper. That being said, there have been amazing shows on network television. One of my favorites is the first couple seasons ofAlias. I’ll never forget seeingJ.J. Abrams' pilot for that show and just being blown away and floored by how phenomenal it was, and so it really is on a case-by-case basis. AndAlex Kurtzman’s andRoberto Orci’s writing on those first two seasons, I mean I was riveted, absolutely loved it. I really think it depends on what executives and who wants to do what at what particular point in time.”
The TV show’s development will likely depend on howTerminator Genisysperforms at the box office. WritersZack StentzandAshley Milleralso worked on the short-lived Fox seriesTerminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which only ran for two seasons on Fox, so they are certainly well-versed with the franchise. Do you think the time is right to bring the franchise back to the small screen?
