James Cameron is writing a new Terminator movie – but won't finish it until AI grows

Terminator 2
(Image credit: Studio Canal)

Well, this is exciting – James Cameron has confirmed he’s started writing a new Terminator movie. The auteur shared the insight at the Dell Tech World conference of all places, as he revealed it’s being inspired by the growth of AI.

"So James Cameron just told the #DellTechWorld crowd that he started writing a new Terminator movie 3 months ago but wants to see how #AI shakes out before he goes any further," revealed one Twitter user at the event. 

It’s especially interesting to hear that Cameron has started on a script, given the last update we had was that he was undecided on whether to reboot the iconic franchise. Back in late 2022, he said on the SmartLess podcast: "If I were to do another Terminator film and maybe try to launch that franchise again, which is in discussion, but nothing has been decided, I would make it much more about the AI side of it than bad robots gone crazy."

AI has become a very hot discussion point over the past year with the rise of things like ChatGPT. It certainly seems like there’s a lot of potential for Cameron to draw on, and he’s probably right that it will only get more interesting as this develops too. 

As for what fans have to say, there’s a big mix of opinions. "Terminator really needs something new every time they've done a new one, it just hasn't gone anywhere," writes one about the news. "I think Jim having the idea of focusing on AI, sounds really interesting."

However, others are a bit worried about what this means for the future of Alita: Battle Angel (even though Robert Rodriguez gave us some positive insight into that). "Meanwhile, Battle Angel Alita/Alita Battle Angel continues to rot in the forgotten bin in this guy's mind," writes another on Twitter. "I seriously wish that Cameron would never have purchased this story from the author."

We’ll just have to wait and see on this one, but in the meantime check out our round-up of the best sci-fi movies to watch right now.

Fay Watson
Deputy Entertainment Editor

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at 12DOVE, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.