To this day, there are a handful of iconic roles associated with the immortal Arnold Schwarzenegger, the most recognizable (arguably) of those being the T-800. Having successfully catapulted the bodybuilder-turned-actor’s career into the stratosphere with 1984’s The Terminator, director James Cameron came back for another round in 1991 with Terminator 2: Judgement Day, sparking endless debate amongst the geek community in the time since as to which film is superior. Personally, I lean toward the original, but appreciate the merits of both.
As time has gone by, several sequels by way of other directors have debuted in cinemas, none of which garnered the acclaim of the first two installments. In fact, both Salvation and Genesys intended on kickstarting new multi-picture arcs, each of which obviously failed to do so. Furthermore, things didn’t go so well on the small screen, with The Sarah Connor Chronicles being cancelled by Fox after only two seasons. But no matter how many entries in this franchise fail to resonate with moviegoers, someone always aims to make a buck off it, come hell or high water.
On that note, today heralds a very special treat for Terminator fans in the form of the first trailer for Judgment Day 3D. Embedded above, it’s a shotgun blast of nostalgia, and we can’t want to see James Cameron’s classic light up the big screen once more. Indeed, talk of a theatrical re-release has been kicking around for a while, and it wasn’t too long ago when we heard confirmation that, yes, T2 will return to theaters – this time in 3D, demanding that action movie fans now turn over their wallets in addition to their clothes, boots and motorcycles.
Here’s what Cameron himself had to share on the re-release back in 2014:
“Terminator 2 is a more polished film and, I think, it has a kind of timeless appeal. If there was someone who was interested in doing that, and we could make a good case for the business model like, perhaps let’s say, it’s never been on screens in China which in the next few years is about to become the biggest market for films worldwide. That alone might justify the cost of a conversion which might be 6 or 7 million dollars. And then a 3D re-release might attract some eyeballs in North American and Europe and then the Chinese release, which would be the first release on the big screen, might pay for it.”
Whether you like it or not, Terminator 2: Judgment Day 3D arrives in theaters on August 25. So, until SkyNet becomes self-aware, be sure to check out the trailer embedded at the top and give us your thoughts in the comments section.