Paramount Pictures once had major plans for Alan Taylor’s Terminator Genisys. Series stalwart Arnold Schwarzenegger was back on board, a mind-bending script was in place, and the studio had recruited one of the most sought-after stars of the moment in Emilia Clarke. What could possibly go wrong?
Quite a lot, as it turns out. Following a dismal bow at the box office – a measly $440 million, and that’s including the boon from China’s market – Paramount quietly delayed both sequels to Genisys indefinitely, and though Schwarzenegger remained optimistic about the immediate future of the sci-fi series at the time, the pieces really began to unravel once Emilia Clarke conceded that she doesn’t expect to reprise the role of Sarah Connor anytime soon.
So, where does Paramount go from here? Well, according to Jai Courtney – who played the role of Kyle Reese in Terminator Genisys – it may very well be time to leave the Terminator series alone, telling Business Insider that: “If it seems like an obvious movie to make then cool. But with ‘Terminator,’ who knows, it’s probably time to leave it where it is. But if they can get back in there and dig around and decide there is another film to make, I’ll take the call.”
Pulling both sequels off its release slate was a pretty damning assessment from Paramount in the wake of Genisys‘ lowly reception. Terminator is too big a series to lay dormant for long, of course, but it’ll be some time yet before fans get over the disappointment of Alan Taylor’s flop.
Jai Courtney will soon be seen lighting up the big screen as part of David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. It’s slated to arrive on Friday, August 5.
