Terminator Zero is all set to take us back into the world of Skynet, this time in the form of an anime series. Despite being set in the universe created by the legendary filmmaker James Cameron in 1984, the upcoming Netflix show will present a new take on the popular franchise.
Following the renowned Arnold Schwarzenegger 1984 film, Terminator has spawned several movies, series, and video games. However, the franchise has seen a steady decline in its popularity over time with some of the worst films like Genisys and Salvation.
Several fans hoped that the upcoming series might use its classic time-travel trope to give justice to the underwhelming Terminator films in some ways. Unfortunately, such a thing is now impossible as the showrunner revealed that Terminator Zero will not mess with the canon in any way.
Will Terminator Zero affect the existing Terminator films?
The continuity of the Terminator franchise has always been a subject of debate among ardent fans. The showrunner of Terminator Zero Mattson Tomlin, said it was challenging for him to handle the continuity of the animated series. However, he has based the show in Japan with a set of new characters and has refused to affect the canon in any way.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Tomlin shared that the anime will treat all the past Terminator films as canon but not mess with them.
“We’re not going to pretend that the third movie didn’t happen. We’re not going to pretend that the sixth movie didn’t happen.”
Mattson Tomlin revealed that even after being set in the same continuity and having several references and callbacks to the existing films, it will be a standalone story. Although the fans thought that the series might play a key role in fixing the underwhelming Christian Bale and Emilia Clarke films in the franchise, Tomlin made it clear that the series would not do anything to improve them.
The executive producer killed any possible hope for the existing films to do better. He crafted new characters for the series as he did not want to “burden” himself with another John and Sarah Connor saga. Tomlin wanted this to be an entirely new kind of experience for the Terminator fans.
Can Terminator Zero‘s new approach revive the fans’ interest?
Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s Terminator started as one of the most significant sci-fi films ever in 1984. Following its success, Terminator 2, released in 1991 proved to be one of the greatest sequels. It was heavily praised for its special effects and is hailed as the best film in the saga.
Unfortunately, the franchise lost its fame when the later films continued to be critical failures. 2019’s Terminator: Dark Fate proved to be the final nail in the coffin as it bombed at the box office despite being a major improvement over the existing films. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that he was done with the franchise.
With Terminator Zero providing a fresh approach to the franchise with a new set of characters and a new setting, it cannot be denied that the anime might prove successful in bringing back the fans.
It must be noted that even after introducing new characters and a setting, the show follows the traditional time-traveling trope of the franchise. This amalgamation of new and old can prove the series to be a success and can also bring a new set of fans to the Terminator universe.
Terminator Zero will premier on Netflix on August 29, 2024.
