Director Justin Lin On Turning Down A New Terminator Film

With Fast Five making more than $600 million at the worlwide box office, Universal is quickly moving forward with Fast Six. Director Justin Lin, who helmed the last three films in the franchise, is also coming back for the next one. Even though he was attached to couple of big projects, one of them being another Terminator film with Arnold Schwarzenegger probably coming back as the main character, he had to step down from directing since he already signed for more Fast & Furious movies. Now, talking to Hero Complex, he shared more info on the project, as well as planning to return is the studio decides to wait. You can read some of it below, and for the full interview, click the link at the bottom of the page.

"Those first two ‘Terminator’ films, we have such a strong connection to it and there’s always a desire to revisit anything that can cause us to feel like that. Being someone who really holds that sacred, I feel like there is a way of continuing that journey. Also with the time travel

and canon there’s a version there that you can do right. For me, there’s still some characters and themes that were kind of promised and exhibited in those movies that we have never actually seen. Those are things that got me excited about potentially trying to crack all of that."

If the studio waits, how big would that delay be? Well, according to Lin:

"The timing for that is a little bit off [in the distance] but the good thing is it doesn’t feel like creatively it’s been compromised. I don’t think anyone is trying to hurry anything. I’m hopeful it will work out but at the same time I’m going to be hard on that film if I get a chance to make it. With that franchise, that’s what it deserves. I remember growing up and watching the first ‘Terminator’ films and they defined my youth in many ways. That’s something I want to try to seek out and recapture."

On the return of Schwarzenegger in the franchise and how would that work:

"There is a way to do that. I don’t want to give anything away but I have a very clear idea thematically and arc-wise where we can go. Again, it’s been just great to throw that around with James and Arnold. Is time our enemy? Well, there is a ticking clock but anytime anything goes into development — with the state of filmmaking and the way films get made — you’re always fighting for more time. The biggest enemy is rushing things. I don’t think it should be rushed. Creatively, it will come when it comes. Passion is always the currency and it’s the thing that will create momentum. If that’s not there you shouldn’t do it. Obviously, there’s a lot of money involved and with that money the clock is going to keep ticking."

So, what do you think?