The last time Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Cameron, and Linda Hamilton worked together on a movie, the end result was one of the greatest blockbusters in the history of cinema, one that ranks as an all-time classic in both the sci-fi and action genres. With that in mind, it’s little wonder everyone was so hyped for their reunion in Terminator: Dark Fate, but things couldn’t have gone much worse.
While Deadpool director Tim Miller’s direct sequel to Judgement Day did land some of the best reviews the franchise had seen in almost 30 years, a catastrophic box office performance ultimately saw the sixth installment in the series lose upwards of $120 million for Paramount. In the years since, Miller has admitted that he dropped the ball big time, and Hamilton agrees.
Speaking to Empire, the veteran star admitted that she struggled from a crisis of confidence when reprising the most iconic role of her career, and intimated that Miller didn’t quite have the right grasp on how to handle her return.
“It just felt so emotionally loaded, going back. I’d worked my ass off beforehand, going to the most painful, disappointing places, combing through bitterness and darkness. And then, when we started and there wasn’t a finished script, it all of a sudden became clear that it might not be a good movie. I had an existential crisis on that film.
Tim would say, ‘I want her relatable’. And I would go back to my room and say, ‘Relatable? When was Sarah Connor ever relatable?’ I love Tim. I love my ladies. But to me there was just something missing. It moved a little too fast. And there were so many beautiful moments that didn’t make it in. I’ll need to see it again, 10 years from now, when I’ve stepped way, way back.”
The autopsy on Dark Fate still isn’t over, then, proving that not even the Holy Trinity who combined to create T2 could salvage a flagging property that had been running out of gas for years. Needless to say, though, it’s almost inevitable that another reboot is coming eventually, even if the stars themselves are happy to admit that fans have lost interest in the saga.
