'The Terminator' Reboot: Latest Production Deal Boosts Film's Already Great Chances of Breaking Box Office Records
Skydance Media has partnered with the Chinese internet titan Tencent for the "Terminator" reboot.
According to Deadline, Tencent will not only co-finance the film but also handle the distribution, marketing and merchandising in China, which is expected to give the reboot a massive boost in ticket sales.
The most recent film in the long-running series, "Terminator: Genisys," released in 2015, grossed in $113 million in the country alone, surpassing its domestic gross, which was just at $85 million.
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"We are thrilled Terminator will be our first collaboration with Tencent, and we believe that partnering this early in the process, prior to production, will allow both companies to fully maximize the opportunity," Skydance Media President and COO Jesse Sisgold said in a statement picked up by the abovementioned publication.
"This franchise is hugely popular with Chinese audiences and will greatly benefit from the massive reach and valuable know-how Tencent has in marketing, distribution, games and more," he continued.
Tencent shares the excitement with Vice President and CEO Edward Cheng, noting Skydance's "savvy production expertise and impeccable taste in talent" will complement Tencent's "tremendous marketing and distribution capabilities in China." He added, "We believe the success of 'Terminator' will serve as a benchmark for future collaborations."
"The Terminator" reboot will serve as the sequel to "Terminator 2: Judgement Day," which James Cameron, the originator of the franchise, wrote, directed, and produced. The 1991 hit is the last film in the franchise that he was ever involved with. Needless to say, it was the last one to be well received.
Cameron is an expert in breaking box office records, but Skydance Media's team-up with Tencent should be able to help him do that much easier.
The filmmaker recently talked about "The Terminator" reboot with Collider, teasing that it will be very different from the original as it aims to reflect the modern day and bring the series into uncharted territory.
"We're developing a new 'Terminator' film. And 'The Terminator' films are all about artificial intelligence. But I would say we're looking at it differently than when I wrote the first story in 1982," the director explained.
"That was just your classic 'technology bad, smart computers bad' kind of thing. Nowadays though – it's got to be a much more nuanced perspective. So it's 'Smart computers bad... BUT...' That's the new motif," he went on to say.
Cameron has been busy simultaneously working on the four "Avatar" sequels, with the first one that will serve as the follow-up to the 2009 original premiering in 2020. This is why he is only overseeing "The Terminator" reboot, which is directed by "Deadpool" helmer Tim Miller.
The reboot film will bring back Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton in their original roles as the titular character and Sarah Connor, respectively.
At the same time, it will introduce a crop of new generation characters to be played by Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Diego Boneta, and Gabriel Luna, who will be Schwarzenegger's successor.
Even though it has no official title and plot details yet, "The Terminator" reboot is set for a Nov. 22, 2019 release. More information should be revealed in the months to come.
