Terminator: Dark Fate
{{Short description|2019 American film by Tim Miller}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Terminator: Dark Fate
| image = Terminator Dark Fate poster.jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = Tim Miller
| screenplay = {{Plainlist|
- David Goyer
- Justin Rhodes
- Billy Ray
}}
| story = {{Plainlist|
- James Cameron
- Charles H. Eglee
- Josh Friedman
- David Goyer
- Justin Rhodes
}}
| producer = {{Plainlist|
- James Cameron
- David Ellison
}}
| starring = {{Plainlist|
}}
| cinematography = Ken Seng
| editing = Julian Clarke
| music = Tom Holkenborg
| studio = {{Plainlist|
- Paramount Pictures
- 20th Century Fox
- Skydance Media
- Tencent Pictures
- TSG Entertainment
- Lightstorm Entertainment
}}
| distributor = {{Plainlist|
- Paramount Pictures (United States and Canada)
- 20th Century Fox (through Buena Vista International, international){{cite web|url=https://www.screendaily.com/box-office/terminator-dark-fate-claims-global-box-office-as-joker-storms-towards-950m/5144340.article|title='Terminator: Dark Fate' claims global box office as 'Joker' storms towards $950m|website=Screen Daily|first=Jeremy|last=Kay|date=November 3, 2019|access-date=April 1, 2025}}
}}
| released = {{Film date|2019|10|23|Europe|2019|11|1|United States}}
| runtime = 128 minutes
| country = United States
| language = {{Plainlist|
- English
- Spanish
}}
| budget = $185–196 million
| gross = $261.1 million
}}
Terminator: Dark Fate is a 2019 American science fiction action film directed by Tim Miller and written by David S. Goyer, Justin Rhodes, and Billy Ray, based on a story by James Cameron, Charles H. Eglee, Josh Friedman, Goyer, and Rhodes. It is the sixth installment in the Terminator franchise and a direct sequel to The Terminator (1984) and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), ignoring the events depicted in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), Terminator Salvation (2009), and Terminator Genisys (2015).
The film stars Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger reprising their roles as Sarah Connor and the T{{nbh}}101 Terminator respectively, and introduces Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna and Diego Boneta as new characters.
The film is set 25 years after the events of Terminator 2, when the machines send an advanced Terminator (Luna) back in time to 2020 with instructions to kill Dani Ramos (Reyes), whose fate is connected to the future. The Resistance also sends Grace (Davis), an augmented soldier, back in time to defend Dani, who is also joined by Sarah Connor and Skynet's T-800. Principal photography took place from June to November 2018 in Hungary, Spain, and the United States.
Distributed by Paramount Pictures in the United States and Canada and 20th Century Fox internationally, the film was released theatrically in the United States on November 1, 2019. Terminator: Dark Fate received mixed reviews from critics, though it was considered an improvement over recent predecessors. However, the film grossed $261.1 million worldwide and lost $122.6 million, making it one of the biggest box-office bombs of all time.
Plot
In 1998, three years after destroying Cyberdyne Systems,{{efn|As depicted in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)}} Sarah and John Connor have retired to Livingston, Guatemala. They are suddenly ambushed by a T-800 Terminator, one of several sent back through time by Skynet, which kills John despite Sarah's attempts to stop it.
In 2020, an advanced Terminator, the Rev-9, is sent back in time to Mexico City to murder Dani Ramos, while cybernetically enhanced soldier Grace is sent from 2042 to protect her. The Rev-9, disguised as Dani's father, infiltrates the automobile assembly plant where she and her brother Diego work, but is thwarted by Grace, who escapes with the siblings. The Rev-9, using its ability to split into its cybernetic endoskeleton and shape-shifting liquid metal exterior, pursues the trio, killing Diego and cornering Grace and Dani. However, Sarah arrives and temporarily disables both forms of the entity using military-grade weaponry. Grace and Dani steal Sarah's car to escape, but due to her enhanced cybernetic capabilities, Grace needs medicine or else she falls unconscious. Raiding a pharmacy, they get the medicine they need before Sarah catches up and guides them to a motel.
At the motel, Sarah reveals that she found them because in the years since John's death she has received encrypted messages detailing the locations of arriving Terminators, each ending with "For John", allowing her to destroy them before they become threats. Grace notes that Skynet and John do not exist in her future, meaning Sarah succeeded in destroying the former after Cyberdyne went defunct. However, humanity's future is threatened by another AI called Legion, originally developed for cyberwarfare, which was built in Skynet's place. When Legion became a threat to humans, an attempt was made to neutralize it with nuclear weapons, resulting in a nuclear holocaust and the AI creating a global network of machines to terminate humanity's survivors, who organized a resistance movement to counter Legion's onslaughts, and Dani's destiny is linked to their war against it.
Grace traces the source of Sarah's messages to Laredo, Texas. Barely evading the Rev-9 and the authorities while crossing the Mexico–United States border, they arrive at their source, where they discover the same T-800 that had killed John. Having fulfilled his mission and with Skynet no longer existing to give him further orders, the T-800 was left aimless. Over time and through his adaptability, he became self-aware, learned from humanity, and developed a conscience, taking the name "Carl" and adopting a human family. After learning how his actions affected Sarah and being able to detect the location of temporal displacements, Carl began to forewarn her of them to give her a purpose to make amends. Carl joins them against the Rev-9 and they prepare to destroy it, with Sarah begrudgingly agreeing to work together for Dani's sake. Anticipating the Rev-9's arrival, Carl bids his family farewell and tells them to escape.
The group seek out a military-grade electromagnetic pulse (EMP) generator from Air Force officer and acquaintance of Sarah's, Major Dean. The Rev-9 catches up with them, forcing them to steal a plane to escape, though the EMP generators are destroyed in the resulting shootout. During the flight, Grace reveals Dani will become the future founding commander of the resistance before the Rev-9 boards their airplane and temporarily subdues Carl, forcing the three women to parachute from the plane into a river near a hydroelectric plant, with Carl and the Rev-9 following close behind. Trapped, the group makes their stand inside the plant. In the ensuing battle, Carl and Grace force the Rev-9 into a spinning turbine, causing an explosion that critically damages the two Terminators. The severely damaged Rev-9 endoskeleton incapacitates Sarah, forcing Dani to confront it herself. A dying Grace tells Dani to use her power source to destroy it. Dani tries to fight the Rev-9 but is quickly overpowered. Carl reactivates himself and restrains it, allowing Dani to stab it with Grace's power source. He then drags himself and the Rev-9 over a ledge before the power core explodes, destroying them both.
Sometime later, Dani and Sarah watch a young Grace at a playground with her family, the former determined to avert Grace's death and Legion's rise, before driving off to prepare.
Cast
{{See also|List of Terminator (franchise) characters|l1=List of Terminator characters}}
- Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor, the mother of John Connor, the former future leader of the Human Resistance in the war against Skynet. Now a battle-hardened senior woman and left alone after John's death, Sarah hunts and kills Skynet's remaining Terminators to prevent Judgment Day and forestall the coming conflict.{{cite web |last=El-Mahmoud |first=Sarah |title=Terminator: Dark Fate Is Rated R and Continues John Connor's Story, James Cameron Confirms |url=https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2472254/terminator-dark-fate-is-rated-r-and-continues-john-connors-story-james-cameron-confirms |work=CinemaBlend |access-date=July 24, 2019 |date=May 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724211614/https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2472254/terminator-dark-fate-is-rated-r-and-continues-john-connors-story-james-cameron-confirms |archive-date=July 24, 2019 |url-status=live}} After learning of Dani's destiny leading a new Resistance against the rogue AI Legion and realizes her own purpose in the new timeline, she prepares Dani as she did John.
- Maddy Curley serves as a stunt actress and body double for a young Sarah Connor, with CGI applied to recreate Hamilton's facial likeness from the 1990s opening scene.
- Jessi Fisher serves as a stunt actress and body double for present- day Sarah Connor.
- Arnold Schwarzenegger as the T-800 / Carl: An aging Terminator built by Skynet and one of several sent back in time to kill John.{{cite AV media |title=Tim Miller Talks Terminator: Dark Fate – San Diego Comic-Con 2019 Interview |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxkio70vZrk |work=ComicBook.com |date=July 25, 2019 |via=YouTube |access-date=July 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190812075945/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxkio70vZrk&gl=US&hl=en&has_verified=1&bpctr=9999999999 |archive-date=August 12, 2019 |url-status=live}} After completing its mission, it gained autonomy and integrated into human society, becoming benign and later starting an emotional relationship with a woman while raising her son. It lives in Laredo, Texas and owns a drapery business.{{cite magazine |last=Lawrence |first=Derek |title=Arnold Schwarzenegger on why he's back for Terminator: Dark Fate: 'I'm addicted to Terminator
' |url=https://ew.com/comic-con/2019/07/18/terminator-dark-fate-panel-footage/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=July 18, 2019 |access-date=July 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719212613/https://ew.com/comic-con/2019/07/18/terminator-dark-fate-panel-footage/ |archive-date=July 19, 2019 |url-status=live}} It later joins forces with Sarah and Grace to help protect Dani from the Rev-9, although Sarah continues to hate Carl for John's death. Dark Fate marks the first film in the series where Schwarzenegger appears as the titular character, but does not receive top billing. - Brett Azar serves as a body double for the young T-800, with CGI applied to recreate Schwarzenegger's facial likeness from the 1990s opening scene. Azar reprises this role from Terminator Genisys.{{cite web |last=Scott |first=Ryan |title=Terminator 6 Brings in Young Schwarzenegger Actor from Terminator Genisys |url=https://movieweb.com/terminator-6-cast-brett-azar-young-t-800-actor/ |work=MovieWeb |date=May 2, 2018 |access-date=November 10, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181111000048/https://movieweb.com/terminator-6-cast-brett-azar-young-t-800-actor/ |archive-date=November 11, 2018 |url-status=live}}
- Mackenzie Davis as Grace, an enhanced super soldier from 2042 who was previously taken in by Dani as a teenager. Grace was subsequently trained and raised by Dani. Grace is later part of a security detail for Dani and she sustains stab wounds while fighting off a Rev-7 Terminator. Following the attack, she volunteers to be converted into a cyborg. Augmented with robotics, she has abilities comparable to those of a Terminator for short periods of time and requires medication, nourishment and rest to replenish her strength. Her enhanced senses and abilities allow her to detect machines such as Legion's before normal humans. Grace is sent to protect Dani's younger self from Legion's Rev-9.{{cite web |title=Terminator 6 Gets Blade Runner 2049 Star Mackenzie Davis |url=https://movieweb.com/terminator-6-cast-mackenzie-davis/ |date=March 8, 2018 |work=MovieWeb |access-date=April 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180310074852/https://movieweb.com/terminator-6-cast-mackenzie-davis/ |archive-date=March 10, 2018 |url-status=live}}
- Stephanie Gil portrays a 10-year-old Grace.{{cite web |url=https://stephaniegil.com/career/ |work=StephanieGil.com |publisher=Cristina Chaparro Management |access-date=26 October 2019 |title=Career | Stephanie Gil |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026202558/https://stephaniegil.com/career/ |archive-date=October 26, 2019 |url-status=live}}
- Natalia Reyes as Dani Ramos, a young woman who works with her brother at an automobile assembly plant in Mexico City. Dani is being targeted for termination by the Rev-9.{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2018/04/the-terminator-gabriel-luna-tim-miller-james-cameron-skydance-paramount-1202364049 |title=Gabriel Luna Is New Terminator; Natalia Reyes & Diego Boneta Also Set to Star in Tim Miller–Jim Cameron Reboot |first=Mike Jr. |last=Fleming |date=April 13, 2018 |work=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=April 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414092045/https://deadline.com/2018/04/the-terminator-gabriel-luna-tim-miller-james-cameron-skydance-paramount-1202364049/ |archive-date=April 14, 2018 |url-status=dead}}{{cite web |last=Harrington |first=Delia |title=Terminator: Dark Fate – Natalia Reyes on New Character Dani |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/282765/terminator-dark-fate-natalia-reyes-on-new-character-dani |work=Den of Geek |access-date=August 13, 2019 |date=August 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190812144107/https://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/282765/terminator-dark-fate-natalia-reyes-on-new-character-dani |archive-date=August 12, 2019 |url-status=live}} At first, Sarah believes that Dani is the Resistance leader's destined mother (like Sarah). However, it is revealed that Dani is fated to take on a role akin to that of Sarah's deceased son, as the Resistance's founding commander in the war against the machines of Legion, with Sarah as her mentor. In the future, Dani sends Grace back in time to stop the Rev-9 and she instructs Grace to seek the T-800 for aid by tattooing its location coordinates on her.
- Gabriel Luna as Gabriel / Rev-9, an advanced Terminator that originated from Legion and was sent back in time to terminate Dani. Featuring a traditional solid endoskeleton covered with liquid metal, the Rev-9 possesses the ability to separate these two components into two separate, fully autonomous units.{{cite web |url=https://collider.com/terminator-dark-fate-images-featurette/ |title=New Terminator: Dark Fate Images Reveal Gabriel Luna's Two-part Terminator |first=Dave |last=Trumbore |date=May 23, 2019 |work=Collider |access-date=May 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523152040/http://collider.com/terminator-dark-fate-images-featurette/ |archive-date=May 23, 2019 |url-status=live}}
- Diego Boneta{{cite web |url=https://movieweb.com/terminator-6-cast-diego-boneta |title=Terminator 6 Targets Scream Queens Star Diego Boneta |date=April 9, 2018 |work=MovieWeb |access-date=April 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180410074229/https://movieweb.com/terminator-6-cast-diego-boneta/ |archive-date=April 10, 2018 |url-status=live}} as Diego Ramos, Dani's brother.
- Tristán Ulloa as Felipe Gandal, Dani's uncle and a border coyote.
- Alicia Borrachero as Alicia, Carl's wife.{{cite news |url=https://entertainment.inquirer.net/348466/when-the-terminator-and-conan-himself-gives-you-a-ballsy-compliment |title=When the Terminator and Conan himself gives you a ballsy compliment ... |first=Ruben |last=V. Nepales |date=October 17, 2019 |newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer |access-date=October 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023133513/https://entertainment.inquirer.net/348466/when-the-terminator-and-conan-himself-gives-you-a-ballsy-compliment |archive-date=October 23, 2019 |url-status=live}}
- Manuel Pacific as Mateo, Carl's step-son.{{cite web |title=Manuel Pacific in Terminator: Dark Fate |url=http://rossmoremanagement.com/news/film/manuel-pacific-in-terminator-dark-fate |work=Rossmore Personal Management Ltd. |access-date=November 11, 2019 |archive-date=November 11, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191111002030/http://rossmoremanagement.com/news/film/manuel-pacific-in-terminator-dark-fate |url-status=live }}
- Enrique Arce{{cite web |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3532078/next-terminator-filming-moniker-phoenix/ |title=Next Terminator Filming Under the Moniker 'Phoenix' [Updated] |first=Brad |last=Miska |date=November 6, 2018 |work=Bloody Disgusting |access-date=November 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181110040446/https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3532078/next-terminator-filming-moniker-phoenix/ |archive-date=November 10, 2018 |url-status=live}} as Vicente, Dani's and Diego's father.
- Fraser James as Major Dean, a United States Air Force intelligence officer and Sarah's acquaintance.
- Tom Hopper as William Hardell, Grace's commanding officer in the Resistance.{{Cite web |url=https://www.looper.com/154806/why-the-cast-of-terminator-dark-fate-looks-so-familiar/ |title=Why the cast of Terminator: Dark Fate looks so familiar |last=Martin |first=Michileen |work=Looper.com|date=June 6, 2019 |language=en-US |access-date=November 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191104004526/https://www.looper.com/154806/why-the-cast-of-terminator-dark-fate-looks-so-familiar/ |archive-date=November 4, 2019 |url-status=live}}
- Stuart McQuarrie as Craig, Dani and Diego's work supervisor.
- Steven Cree as Rigby, a United States Border Patrol agent
- Georgia Simon, the film's ADR voice casting director, provided the voice of Grace's mother.
- Edward Furlong as "John Connor reference", a young version of John Connor created using CGI and motion capture.{{cite web |last=McCreesh |first=Louise |title=Terminator's John Connor star responds to Dark Fate's controversial twist: "It kinda bums me out." |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a30011906/terminator-dark-fate-john-connor-death-edward-furlong-reaction/ |website=Digital Spy |access-date=November 27, 2019 |date=November 27, 2019 |archive-date=November 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191127171346/https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a30011906/terminator-dark-fate-john-connor-death-edward-furlong-reaction/ |url-status=live }}
- Aaron Kunitz provided the voice of young John Connor.{{cite web |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a29545850/terminator-dark-fate-john-connor-edward-furlong-role/ |title=How Terminator: Dark Fate brings back Edward Furlong's John Connor |first=Ian |last=Sandwell |date=October 23, 2019 |work=Digital Spy |access-date=October 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024000411/https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a29545850/terminator-dark-fate-john-connor-edward-furlong-role/ |archive-date=October 24, 2019 |url-status=live}}
- Jude Collie served as a body double for young John Connor, onto which Furlong's facial likeness from the 1990s was applied.{{cite web |last=Miska |first=Brad |title=About Edward Furlong's Terminator: Dark Fate Return as John Connor |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3573841/edward-furlongs-terminator-dark-fate-return-john-connor-spoilers/ |work=Bloody Disgusting |date=July 19, 2019 |access-date=July 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720140450/https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3573841/edward-furlongs-terminator-dark-fate-return-john-connor-spoilers/ |archive-date=July 20, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |url=https://comicbook.com/movies/2019/07/18/terminator-dark-fate-eddie-furlong-john-connor-return/ |title=Edward Furlong Officially Returning as John Connor in Terminator: Dark Fate |first=Charlie |last=Ridgely |date=July 18, 2019 |work=ComicBook.com |access-date=July 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190718183252/https://comicbook.com/movies/2019/07/18/terminator-dark-fate-eddie-furlong-john-connor-return/ |archive-date=July 18, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=Franklin |first=Garth |title=Rumor On Furlong's Dark Fate Role Revealed |url=https://www.darkhorizons.com/rumor-on-furlongs-dark-fate-role-revealed/ |work=Dark Horizons |date=July 20, 2019 |access-date=July 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722222337/https://www.darkhorizons.com/rumor-on-furlongs-dark-fate-role-revealed/ |archive-date=July 22, 2019 |url-status=live}}
- Earl Boen appears as Dr. Silberman via uncredited archival footage from Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
Production
=Development=
File:Tim Miller by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg, director of Terminator: Dark Fate, promoting the film at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con]]
By December 2013, Skydance Productions was planning for Terminator Genisys to be the start of a new trilogy of films.{{cite news |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/new-terminator-tv-series-works-663447 |title=New Terminator TV series in the works |first=Lesley |last=Goldberg |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=December 6, 2013 |access-date=July 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708210108/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/new-terminator-tv-series-works-663447 |archive-date=July 8, 2015 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://screenrant.com/terminator-new-tv-series-movie-reboot-tie-in |title=New Terminator TV Series to Tie-in With Movie Reboot Trilogy |first=Ben |last=Kendrick |work=Screen Rant |date=December 6, 2013 |access-date=July 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701010350/http://screenrant.com/terminator-new-tv-series-movie-reboot-tie-in/ |archive-date=July 1, 2015 |url-status=live}} The Genisys sequels were scheduled for release on May 19, 2017 and June 29, 2018.{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2013/06/paramount-sets-terminator-relaunch-for-june-26-2015-531446/ |title=Paramount Sets Terminator Relaunch For June 26, 2015 |work=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=June 27, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140913032652/http://deadline.com/2013/06/paramount-sets-terminator-relaunch-for-june-26-2015-531446/ |archive-date=September 13, 2014 |url-status=live |date=June 27, 2013}}{{cite news |title=Two Terminator Pics, Sets The Gambler Redo for Oscar-qualifying Run |url=https://deadline.com/2014/09/terminator-sequels-release-dates-set-830260/ |access-date=September 6, 2014 |work=Deadline Hollywood |date=September 5, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140906065413/http://deadline.com/2014/09/terminator-sequels-release-dates-set-830260/ |archive-date=September 6, 2014 |url-status=live}} For the second film in the planned trilogy, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger was to reprise his role as the T-800.{{cite news |title=Arnold Schwarzenegger Says He'll be Back for Terminator Genisys Sequel |url=https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/413433-arnold-schwarzenegger-says-hell-be-back-for-terminator-genisys-sequel#/slide/1 |access-date=February 24, 2015 |work=ComingSoon.net |date=February 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150224224430/http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/413433-arnold-schwarzenegger-says-hell-be-back-for-terminator-genisys-sequel#/slide/1 |archive-date=February 24, 2015 |url-status=live}} Terminator Genisys was produced by Skydance founder David Ellison and was released in 2015, but its disappointing box-office performance stalled the development of the planned trilogy.{{cite news |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ill-be-back-terminator-dilemma-810106 |title='I'll Be Back'? The Terminator Dilemma: When to Admit a Franchise Is Dead |first=Pamela |last=McClintock |work=The Hollywood Reporter |publisher=Guggenheim Partners |date=July 26, 2015 |access-date=July 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150727114920/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ill-be-back-terminator-dilemma-810106 |archive-date=July 27, 2015 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/dangers-financiers-think-they-can-827843 |title=The Dangers When Financiers Think They Can Produce Movies, Too |first=Kim |last=Masters |date=October 1, 2015 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=August 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003222919/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/dangers-financiers-think-they-can-827843 |archive-date=October 3, 2015 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2015/09/mission-impossible-rogue-nation-china-record-1201544867 |title=Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation Becomes Highest Grossing 2D Film in China |first1=Anthony |last1=D'Alessandro |first2=Nancy |last2=Tartaglione |work=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=October 1, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926021221/http://deadline.com/2015/09/mission-impossible-rogue-nation-china-record-1201544867/ |archive-date=September 26, 2015 |url-status=dead |date=September 23, 2015}} Dana Goldberg, the chief creative officer for Skydance, said in October 2015 that she "wouldn't say [the franchise is] on hold, so much as re-adjusting". According to Goldberg, despite Genisys{{'}} disappointing domestic performance, the company was happy with its worldwide numbers and still intended to make new films. Production of a sequel would begin no earlier than 2016 because the company planned market research to determine its direction after Genisys.{{cite web |url=https://www.thewrap.com/thegrill-2015-terminator-genisys-producer-on-franchises-future-not-on-hold-but-re-adjusting |title=TheGrill 2015: Terminator: Genisys Producer on Franchise's Future: Not on Hold but 'Re-adjusting' (Video) |first=Beatrice |last=Verhoeven |date=October 6, 2015 |work=TheWrap |access-date=October 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151010005155/http://www.thewrap.com/thegrill-2015-terminator-genisys-producer-on-franchises-future-not-on-hold-but-re-adjusting/ |archive-date=October 10, 2015 |url-status=live}} The Genisys sequels were ultimately canceled.{{Cite news |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/terminator-genisys-sequel/ |title=Abandoned Terminator Genisys Sequel Plot Focused on Cyborg John Connor |date=April 6, 2018 |work=/Film |access-date=November 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190525144046/https://www.slashfilm.com/terminator-genisys-sequel/ |archive-date=May 25, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/paramount-takes-terminator-sequel-release-857746 |title=Paramount Takes Terminator Sequel Off Release Schedule |first=Pamela |last=McClintock |date=January 20, 2016 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=January 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160123015856/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/paramount-takes-terminator-sequel-release-857746 |archive-date=January 23, 2016 |url-status=live}}
Tim Miller and Ellison talked about Miller eventually directing a new Terminator film after completing Deadpool 2 (2018).{{cite web |last1=Belloni |first1=Matthew |last2=Kit |first2=Borys |title=James Cameron Sounds the Alarm on Artificial Intelligence and Unveils a Terminator for the 21st Century |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/james-cameron-sounds-alarm-artificial-intelligence-unveils-a-terminator-21st-century-1043027 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=November 1, 2019 |date=September 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603083835/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/james-cameron-sounds-alarm-artificial-intelligence-unveils-a-terminator-21st-century-1043027 |archive-date=June 3, 2019 |url-status=live}} When Miller left the Deadpool 2 project in October 2016,{{cite news |url=https://deadline.com/2016/10/deadpool-director-tim-miller-exits-sequel-ryan-reynolds-creative-disagreements-fox-1201841001/ |title=Director Tim Miller, Ryan Reynolds Part Company on Deadpool 2 |last=Fleming |first=Mike Jr. |work=Deadline Hollywood |date=October 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519221823/http://deadline.com/2016/10/deadpool-director-tim-miller-exits-sequel-ryan-reynolds-creative-disagreements-fox-1201841001/ |archive-date=May 19, 2017 |url-status=live}} he took on the Terminator film as his next project instead. At the request of Miller,{{cite web |last=O'Connor |first=James |title=Terminator: Dark Fate Director Tim Miller Says He Would Not Work with James Cameron Again |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/terminator-dark-fate-director-tim-miller-says-he-w/1100-6471719/ |work=GameSpot |access-date=November 27, 2019 |date=November 25, 2019 |archive-date=November 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191127171335/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/terminator-dark-fate-director-tim-miller-says-he-w/1100-6471719/ |url-status=live }} franchise creator James Cameron subsequently joined the project. Cameron had directed and co-written the first two Terminator films,{{cite web |last=Eggertsen |first=Chris |title=Terminator: Dark Fate Director Tim Miller on Critics, Linda Hamilton and Those Inevitable T2 Comparisons |url=https://www.boxofficepro.com/terminator-dark-fate-tim-miller-interview/ |work=BoxOffice |access-date=November 6, 2019 |date=October 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191106181244/https://www.boxofficepro.com/terminator-dark-fate-tim-miller-interview/ |archive-date=November 6, 2019 |url-status=live}} and Miller, through his company Blur Studio, had previously worked with Cameron.{{cite news |last=Jussim |first=Matthew |title=How Terminator: Dark Fate Director Tim Miller Created Its 'Massive' Action Scenes |url=https://www.mensjournal.com/entertainment/how-the-massive-action-scenes-were-created-for-terminator-dark-fate/ |access-date=January 30, 2020 |work=Men's Journal |date=October 30, 2019 |archive-date=March 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200315122815/https://www.mensjournal.com/entertainment/how-the-massive-action-scenes-were-created-for-terminator-dark-fate/ |url-status=live }} Ellison felt that Genisys could have been better, so he recruited Cameron as a fellow producer in hopes of creating a better film.{{cite news |last=Boucher |first=Geoff |title=Terminator: Dark Fate: James Cameron on Rewired Franchise, Possible New Trilogy |url=https://deadline.com/2019/08/terminator-dark-fate-james-cameron-on-re-wired-franchise-possible-new-trilogy-1202707063/ |access-date=September 1, 2019 |work=Deadline Hollywood |date=August 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831031105/https://deadline.com/2019/08/terminator-dark-fate-james-cameron-on-re-wired-franchise-possible-new-trilogy-1202707063/ |archive-date=August 31, 2019 |url-status=live}} Cameron was intrigued by Ellison's proposal to make a sequel to Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), ignoring the events of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), Terminator Salvation (2009), and Terminator Genisys. Cameron said "we're pretending the other films were a bad dream. Or an alternate timeline, which is permissible in our multi-verse." Other filmmakers on the project had suggested making the film without Schwarzenegger, but Cameron disliked the idea as he and Schwarzenegger were friends.{{cite news |last=Sblendorio |first=Peter |title=James Cameron tells Daily News why he returned for Terminator: Dark Fate and teamed up again with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/ny-james-cameron-terminator-dark-fate-20191028-nagw7pmg45ev7oxqheqv6ap42q-story.html |access-date=October 29, 2019 |work=New York Daily News |date=October 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029180703/https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/ny-james-cameron-terminator-dark-fate-20191028-nagw7pmg45ev7oxqheqv6ap42q-story.html |archive-date=October 29, 2019 |url-status=live}} Cameron agreed to produce the film on the condition that Schwarzenegger be involved.{{cite web |last=Zinski |first=Dan |title=James Cameron Wouldn't Return for Terminator 6 Without Arnold Schwarzenegger |url=https://screenrant.com/james-cameron-terminator-dark-fate-arnold-schwarzenegger/ |work=Screen Rant |access-date=July 24, 2019 |date=May 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190610153914/https://screenrant.com/james-cameron-terminator-dark-fate-arnold-schwarzenegger/ |archive-date=June 10, 2019 |url-status=live}} As producer, Cameron was involved in pre-production and script work, and also provided his input on the project. Miller felt that audiences had "lost hope" in the franchise following the last three films. He believed that Cameron's involvement would serve as a "seal of quality" which would convince fans that the franchise "was going to be handled at least in a way that the original filmmaker would want".
Cameron was involved with the film as of January 2017 and Ellison was searching for a writer among science fiction authors with the intention that Miller direct.{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2017/01/terminator-james-cameron-deadpool-tim-miller-david-ellison-skydance-1201890848/ |title=He's Back! James Cameron to Godfather Terminator with Deadpool Helmer Tim Miller |first=Mike Jr. |last=Fleming |date=January 21, 2017 |work=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=January 21, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170121073134/http://deadline.com/2017/01/terminator-james-cameron-deadpool-tim-miller-david-ellison-skydance-1201890848/ |archive-date=January 21, 2017 |url-status=live}} Later in the month, Ellison said there would be an announcement regarding the future of the franchise before the end of the year, adding that it was going to be in a direction that would provide "the continuation of what the fans really wanted since T2".{{cite web |url=https://collider.com/terminator-5-update/ |title=A Major Terminator Franchise Announcement Is Coming in 2017, Says Skydance's David Ellison |first=Chris |last=Cabin |date=March 21, 2017 |work=Collider |access-date=March 21, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170322111748/http://collider.com/terminator-5-update/ |archive-date=March 22, 2017 |url-status=live}} In July 2017, Cameron said that he was working with Ellison to set up a trilogy of films and supervise them. The intention was for Schwarzenegger to be involved, but also to introduce new characters and "pass the baton".{{Cite news |url=http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/titanic-and-avatar-director-james-cameron-hoping-to-make-new-terminator-trilogy/news-story/27e00d478eeaf4c8b31c681a29bde13c |title=Titanic and Avatar director James Cameron hoping to make new Terminator trilogy |first=James |last=Wigney |date=July 23, 2017 |work=News Corp Australia Network |access-date=November 14, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922002134/http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/titanic-and-avatar-director-james-cameron-hoping-to-make-new-terminator-trilogy/news-story/27e00d478eeaf4c8b31c681a29bde13c |archive-date=September 22, 2017 |url-status=live}}
=Pre-production=
On September 12, 2017, Skydance Media confirmed that Tim Miller would direct the new Terminator film{{cite web |url=https://skynetsarmy.net/2017/09/12/terminator-6-is-a-go-tim-miller-will-officially-direct/ |title=Terminator 6 Is a Go! Tim Miller Will Officially Direct! |work=Skynet's Army |date=September 12, 2017 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929140856/https://skynetsarmy.net/2017/09/12/terminator-6-is-a-go-tim-miller-will-officially-direct/ |archive-date=September 29, 2017}} which was initially scheduled for a theatrical release on July 26, 2019.{{cite news |last=McNary |first=Dave |author-link=Dave McNary |title=New Terminator Will Be Back Summer 2019 |url=https://variety.com/2017/film/news/terminator-6-release-date-linda-hamilton-arnold-schwarzenegger-1202574416/ |access-date=September 1, 2019 |work=Variety |date=September 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180624150913/https://variety.com/2017/film/news/terminator-6-release-date-linda-hamilton-arnold-schwarzenegger-1202574416/ |archive-date=June 24, 2018 |url-status=live}} The film's budget was approximately $185–$196 million, split roughly three ways between Skydance, Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox,{{cite web |last1=D'Alessandro |first1=Anthony |last2=Tartaglione |first2=Nancy |title=Terminator: Dark Fate Eyes $125M Global Weekend, but Will Franchise 'Be Back' Stateside? |url=https://deadline.com/2019/10/terminator-dark-fate-opening-weekend-james-cameron-arnold-schwarzenegger-linda-hamilton-1202772904/ |work=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=October 31, 2019 |date=October 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030233233/https://deadline.com/2019/10/terminator-dark-fate-opening-weekend-james-cameron-arnold-schwarzenegger-linda-hamilton-1202772904/ |archive-date=October 30, 2019 |url-status=live}} all of which were production companies for the film. Chinese company Tencent Pictures joined the project as a co-financier in April 2018,{{cite web |title=China's Tencent Boards Skydance's Terminator |url=https://variety.com/2018/film/asia/china-tencent-boards-skydance-terminator-1202781743/ |first=Patrick |last=Frater |work=Variety |access-date=August 23, 2019 |date=April 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190406124042/https://variety.com/2018/film/asia/china-tencent-boards-skydance-terminator-1202781743/ |archive-date=April 6, 2019 |url-status=live}} ultimately financing ten percent of the budget.{{cite web |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |title=Terminator: Dark Fate Loads up $2.4M on Halloween Night |url=https://deadline.com/2019/11/terminator-dark-fate-linda-hamilton-harriet-motherless-brooklyn-weekend-box-office-1202774477/ |work=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=November 1, 2019 |date=November 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103043256/https://deadline.com/2019/11/terminator-dark-fate-linda-hamilton-harriet-motherless-brooklyn-weekend-box-office-1202774477/ |archive-date=November 3, 2019 |url-status=live}} Tencent was a production company on the project and also handled the film's distribution, marketing and merchandising in China. TSG Entertainment and James Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment were also involved in the film's production.
=Writing=
Before screenwriters were hired, Miller had asked that a group of novelists be consulted on how to reinvent the franchise.{{cite news |last=Donnelly |first=Matt |title=Terminator: Dark Fate Director: Why Mackenzie Davis Will 'Scare the F— Out of' Misogynists |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/features/director-tim-miller-terminator-dark-fate-comic-con-1203262797/ |work=Variety |date=July 10, 2019 |access-date=July 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190718033809/https://variety.com/2019/film/features/director-tim-miller-terminator-dark-fate-comic-con-1203262797/ |archive-date=July 18, 2019 |url-status=live}} Among the novelists were Joe Abercrombie, Neal Asher, Greg Bear, Warren Ellis and Neal Stephenson.{{cite web |last=Patches |first=Matt |title=Terminator: Dark Fate director Tim Miller on making the franchise work again |url=https://www.polygon.com/interviews/2019/10/22/20924152/terminator-dark-fate-director-tim-miller-interview-sara-connor-linda-hamilton |work=Polygon |access-date=October 22, 2019 |date=October 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022214223/https://www.polygon.com/interviews/2019/10/22/20924152/terminator-dark-fate-director-tim-miller-interview-sara-connor-linda-hamilton |archive-date=October 22, 2019 |url-status=live}} Abercrombie suggested the idea of a female character who is half human and half machine, forming the origins of the character Grace. A human-machine character, Marcus Wright, was previously featured in Terminator Salvation, portrayed by Sam Worthington.{{cite web |last=Owen |first=Phil |title=6 Major Ideas Terminator: Dark Fate Copied From Previous Terminator Movies |url=https://www.thewrap.com/6-major-ideas-terminator-dark-fate-copied-from-previous-terminator-movies/ |work=TheWrap |access-date=November 1, 2019 |date=October 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101152346/https://www.thewrap.com/6-major-ideas-terminator-dark-fate-copied-from-previous-terminator-movies/ |archive-date=November 1, 2019 |url-status=live}}
The film's story was conceived by Miller, Cameron and Ellison and a team of writers was hired to write the script. They included Charles H. Eglee, David S. Goyer and his writing partner Justin Rhodes and Josh Friedman, creator of the television series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.{{cite web |last=Topel |first=Fred |url=https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/david-goyer-first-look-at-krypton-update-on-green-lantern-corps-sandman-terminator/ |title=David Goyer Offers a Krypton First Look, Updates on Green Lantern Corps and The Sandman |date=January 10, 2018 |work=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=October 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117233907/https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/david-goyer-first-look-at-krypton-update-on-green-lantern-corps-sandman-terminator/ |archive-date=January 17, 2018 |url-status=live}} Cameron and the writers watched the Terminator sequels that came after his initial films. They determined that the storylines of the later films were too complex when it came to time travel.{{cite web |last=Lussier |first=Germain |title=James Cameron Watched the Last 3 Terminator Movies to Figure Out What Not to Do with Dark Fate |url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/james-cameron-watched-the-last-3-terminator-movies-to-f-1837722510 |work=io9 |access-date=September 1, 2019 |date=August 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831221818/https://io9.gizmodo.com/james-cameron-watched-the-last-3-terminator-movies-to-f-1837722510 |archive-date=August 31, 2019 |url-status=live}} Weeks were spent working on the story which was eventually envisioned as a new Terminator film trilogy.{{cite web |last=Chitwood |first=Adam |title=James Cameron Says Terminator: Dark Fate Begins a New Trilogy; Talks R-rating |url=https://collider.com/terminator-dark-fate-new-trilogy/ |work=Collider |access-date=September 1, 2019 |date=August 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831045259/http://collider.com/terminator-dark-fate-new-trilogy/ |archive-date=August 31, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=Anderton |first=Ethan |title=Terminator: Dark Fate Intended to Kick Off a New Trilogy, Because That Worked So Well Before |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/new-terminator-trilogy/ |work=/Film |access-date=September 1, 2019 |date=August 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190901160939/https://www.slashfilm.com/new-terminator-trilogy/ |archive-date=September 1, 2019 |url-status=live}} Goyer wrote a draft for the first film in the trilogy that would ultimately become Terminator: Dark Fate.
Goyer moved on to other projects. By November 2017, Billy Ray was brought in to polish the script.{{cite web |last1=Kroll |first1=Justin |last2=Lang |first2=Brent |url=https://variety.com/2017/film/news/terminator-new-movie-writer-billy-ray-1202617746/ |title=Terminator Writing Team Adds Billy Ray to Put Final Polish on Script |date=November 17, 2017 |work=Variety |access-date=July 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180731062220/https://variety.com/2017/film/news/terminator-new-movie-writer-billy-ray-1202617746/ |archive-date=July 31, 2018 |url-status=live}} Ray rewrote much of Goyer's draft. Miller wrote the film's action scenes, while Ray handled the characters. Cameron had a list of action scenes, for no particular film, that he had wanted to shoot over the years. He gave this list to Miller, so he could work them into Terminator: Dark Fate. The list formed the basis for scenes involving a dam and a Humvee underwater.{{cite web |last=Couch |first=Aaron |title=Terminator Director on Linda Hamilton's Key Moment and John Connor's Secret Role |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/terminator-dark-fate-director-explains-john-connor-twist-1251466 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=November 1, 2019 |date=November 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101185537/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/terminator-dark-fate-director-explains-john-connor-twist-1251466 |archive-date=November 1, 2019 |url-status=live}} As the start of filming approached, Cameron felt that the script needed improvement and made the changes himself. The film's story credits were given to James Cameron, Charles Eglee, Josh Friedman, David Goyer and Justin Rhodes; screenplay by David Goyer, Justin Rhodes and Billy Ray.{{cite web |last=Evangelista |first=Chris |title=International Terminator: Dark Fate Trailer Attempts to Change the Future (with Lots of New Footage) |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/international-terminator-dark-fate-trailer/ |work=/Film |access-date=October 29, 2019 |date=October 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191003213333/https://www.slashfilm.com/international-terminator-dark-fate-trailer/ |archive-date=October 3, 2019 |url-status=live}} Cameron said that he and Miller ultimately had many disagreements about the film, but he described it as being part of the creative process. Among their disagreements was whether the human resistance would be winning or losing to Legion in the future. Miller wanted the humans to be losing, while Cameron felt differently. Miller said, "Legion is so powerful, the only way to beat it is going back in time and strangle it in the crib. Jim says, 'What's dramatic about the humans losing?' And I say, 'Well, What's dramatic about the humans winning and they just need to keep on winning?' I like a last stand. It's not his thing." Miller also had disagreements with Ellison.{{cite web |last=Couch |first=Aaron |title=Terminator Director Tim Miller Reflects on Box Office Trauma and James Cameron Fights: 'I'm Processing' |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/why-terminator-dark-fate-director-wont-work-james-cameron-again-1257322 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=November 23, 2019 |date=November 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191123002918/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/why-terminator-dark-fate-director-wont-work-james-cameron-again-1257322 |archive-date=November 23, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=Lawrence |first=Gregory |title=Tim Miller Opens up on Dark Fate
Miller said that the destruction of Cyberdyne at the end of Terminator 2: Judgment Day is an event which would change the future "but no one knew how. And I don't think the movies that came after it really explored that in a clean way like I believe we are, with true consequences, and it makes perfect sense for Sarah to be the one to face those consequences since they were her choices to begin with."{{cite magazine |last=Lawrence |first=Derek |title=Linda Hamilton explains why she's finally back for Terminator: Dark Fate |url=https://ew.com/comic-con/2019/07/15/linda-hamilton-tim-miller-terminator-dark-fate-interview/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=July 15, 2019 |access-date=July 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723205019/https://ew.com/comic-con/2019/07/15/linda-hamilton-tim-miller-terminator-dark-fate-interview/ |archive-date=July 23, 2019 |url-status=live}} One consequence would be the death of John Connor, who was initially meant to become the future leader of the human resistance against machines. The decision to kill the John Connor character came from Cameron, who wanted to surprise audiences who had become invested in the character's mythology: "It's like, 'Let's just get that right off the table. Let's just pull the carpet out from underneath all of our assumptions of what a Terminator movie is going to be about. Let's just put a bullet in his head at a pizzeria in the first 45 seconds.'" Cameron said that John's death serves as "a springboard for the story to show Sarah's ultimate trauma from which she only begins to recover right at the end of the new film. She's driven by hatred, by revenge. (...) Her badassery comes from a place of deep hurt and deep pain."
Miller said that he and the other filmmakers did not find the decision to kill John controversial. Miller felt that Sarah Connor was best portrayed as an unhappy character and he said that John's death provided a reason for her to be that way. Miller said of Sarah Connor: "Grief has made her want to be an emotionless killing machine. And at the end of the movie, she's allowing herself to care again, she comes back to humanity. Her shriveled heart has blossomed again. That was the journey". However, Miller did not want Sarah Connor to be an unpleasant and "unwatchable" character and said, "I think Sarah is tough, but it's not uncomfortable to watch."
Cameron believed that removing John Connor would prevent the film from feeling like a retread of previous films.{{cite news |last=Yamato |first=Jen |title=Terminator: Dark Fate spoiler: That John Connor twist was James Cameron's idea |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-11-02/terminator-dark-fate-spoilers-john-connor-james-cameron |access-date=November 4, 2019 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=November 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103151325/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-11-02/terminator-dark-fate-spoilers-john-connor-james-cameron |archive-date=November 3, 2019 |url-status=live}} Discarding John Connor allowed for new characters to be worked into the story. Miller said, "You can't have John be a 36-year-old accountant somewhere. And really, when you think about it, he could be sort of a pathetic figure as a man who had missed his moment in history and was relegated to this banal, ordinary existence". Describing the opening scene, Miller said, "You want to slap the audience in the face and say, 'Wake up. This is going to be different.' I feel like that accomplished that. I hate the violence of it. I hate the idea of a kid being shot, but the dramatic fuel that it gives the story is kind of undeniable." In the early stages of development, there was consideration given to the idea that Dani Ramos could be portrayed as John's daughter, or that she could have some other connection to the Connors. However, Miller disliked the idea that she would be related to them. There were never plans to feature John Connor in any other scenes besides the opening. Linda Hamilton was somewhat shocked by the decision to kill John Connor, which she believed would upset a lot of fans, but she also said she wanted the film series and its characters to evolve.{{cite web |last=LaBonte |first=Rachel |title=Linda Hamilton Knew John Connor's Sudden Death In Terminator: Dark Fate Would Upset Fans |url=https://screenrant.com/terminator-dark-fate-john-connor-death-fan-reaction |website=Screen Rant |access-date=March 30, 2020 |date=March 19, 2020 |archive-date=March 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200329010542/https://screenrant.com/terminator-dark-fate-john-connor-death-fan-reaction/ |url-status=live }} She was pleased with the film's characters, feeling that earlier sequels to Terminator 2 lacked characters the audience would care about.{{cite magazine |last=Lawrence |first=Derek |title=Linda Hamilton on why the post-Terminator 2 films haven't worked |url=https://ew.com/comic-con/2019/07/16/linda-hamilton-post-terminator-2-films/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=July 16, 2019 |access-date=July 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190717185053/https://ew.com/comic-con/2019/07/16/linda-hamilton-post-terminator-2-films/ |archive-date=July 17, 2019 |url-status=live}}
Miller was dissatisfied with the final film's idea that Dani would send Grace to the past, saying, "We set up this whole [story] where Grace is kind of Dani's surrogate child and a mother sending her child to die for her is just...yeah, I had a different scene in mind."{{cite web |last=Lussier |first=Germain |title=Dark Fate
Cameron devised the idea of a T-800 Terminator that is "just out there in this kind of limbo" for more than 20 years after carrying out an order, becoming more human "in the sense that he's evaluating the moral consequences of things that he did, that he was ordered to do back in his early days, and really kind of developing a consciousness and a conscience". Cameron considered this iteration of the character to be more interesting than those featured in his first two films, saying, "We've seen the Terminator that was programmed to be bad; you've seen the one that was programmed to be good, to be a protector. But in both cases, neither one of them have free will." Schwarzenegger enjoys interior decorating, so Cameron suggested that his T-800 character in the film have a drapery business.{{cite web |last=Singer |first=Matt |title=Interview: Arnold Schwarzenegger on the Past, Present, and Many Futures of Terminator |url=https://screencrush.com/arnold-schwarzenegger-interview-terminator-dark-fate/ |work=ScreenCrush |access-date=October 31, 2019 |date=October 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030154917/https://screencrush.com/arnold-schwarzenegger-interview-terminator-dark-fate/ |archive-date=October 30, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last=Alexander |first=Bryan |title=Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator life lessons: 'Women love it when you listen' |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2019/10/30/terminator-dark-fate-arnold-schwarzenegger-trump-diapers-interior-design/2500036001/ |access-date=October 31, 2019 |work=USA Today |date=October 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031073247/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2019/10/30/terminator-dark-fate-arnold-schwarzenegger-trump-diapers-interior-design/2500036001/ |archive-date=October 31, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=Lussier |first=Germain |title=Arnold Schwarzenegger Doesn't Care That Terminator: Dark Fate Ignores Previous Films He Was In |url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/arnold-schwarzenegger-doesnt-care-that-terminator-dark-1839400170 |work=io9 |access-date=October 31, 2019 |date=October 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031035836/https://io9.gizmodo.com/arnold-schwarzenegger-doesnt-care-that-terminator-dark-1839400170 |archive-date=October 31, 2019 |url-status=live}} Miller arranged the script's structure to have Schwarzenegger's character appear later in the story, to allow time for the three female lead characters to develop.{{cite web |last=Schager |first=Nick |title=Terminator: Dark Fate Director Tim Miller Explains the Film's Massive Twist and What Is Next for the Franchise |url=https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a29656397/terminator-dark-fate-director-tim-miller-john-connor-twist-franchise-sequel/ |work=Esquire |access-date=January 30, 2020 |date=November 1, 2019 |archive-date=January 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200111182426/https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a29656397/terminator-dark-fate-director-tim-miller-john-connor-twist-franchise-sequel/ |url-status=live }}
=Casting=
By April 2017, Schwarzenegger had joined the project to reprise his role.{{cite web |url=https://www.fandango.com/movie-news/exclusive-arnold-schwarzenegger-tells-us-he-is-not-done-making-terminator-movies-752107 |title=Exclusive: Arnold Schwarzenegger Tells Us He Is Not Done Making Terminator Movies |first=Erik |last=Davis |date=April 3, 2017 |work=Fandango.com |access-date=April 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171013225924/https://www.fandango.com/movie-news/exclusive-arnold-schwarzenegger-tells-us-he-is-not-done-making-terminator-movies-752107 |archive-date=October 13, 2017 |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |url=https://screenrant.com/terminator-6-schwarzenegger-human-t-800-robot/ |title=Terminator 6: Schwarzenegger Will Be the Human Basis for the T-800 |first=Michael |last=Kennedy |date=August 10, 2017 |work=Screen Rant |access-date=November 14, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015091335/http://screenrant.com/terminator-6-schwarzenegger-human-t-800-robot/ |archive-date=October 15, 2017 |url-status=live}} That September, it was announced Hamilton would reprise her role as Sarah Connor, whom she previously portrayed in the first two films. Hamilton had also briefly reprised the role for the 1996 theme park attraction T2-3D: Battle Across Time,{{cite web |last=Weiss |first=Josh |title=They're back! Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton reunite on set of new Terminator |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/arnold-schwarzenegger-and-linda-hamilton-reunite-on-set-of-new-terminator |website=Syfy Wire |access-date=May 23, 2020 |date=September 26, 2018 |archive-date=August 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200823150917/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/arnold-schwarzenegger-and-linda-hamilton-reunite-on-set-of-new-terminator |url-status=live }} and provided her voice in an uncredited role for Terminator Salvation.{{cite web |last=Elvy |first=Craig |title=Linda Hamilton Was in Terminator Salvation: Why Does Everybody Forget? |url=https://screenrant.com/terminator-salvation-linda-hamilton-return-voice-tapes/ |work=Screen Rant |access-date=October 29, 2019 |date=October 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029180704/https://screenrant.com/terminator-salvation-linda-hamilton-return-voice-tapes/ |archive-date=October 29, 2019 |url-status=live}} Because previous Terminator films did not do well with audiences, Miller felt it was necessary to have Hamilton reprise the role.{{cite web |last=Muncy |first=Julie |title=Tim Miller Thinks There's a Simple Reason Why Other Terminator Sequels Weren't as Good as Dark Fate |url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/tim-miller-thinks-theres-a-simple-reason-why-other-term-1839563829 |work=io9 |date=November 2, 2019 |access-date=November 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103013456/https://io9.gizmodo.com/tim-miller-thinks-theres-a-simple-reason-why-other-term-1839563829 |archive-date=November 3, 2019 |url-status=live}} Cameron, Ellison and Miller only wanted to bring back the Sarah Connor character if Hamilton would reprise the role. The film's storyline was devised first so the trio would have an idea to pitch to Hamilton. Cameron said that he sent Hamilton a "long rambling email with a lot of reasons why she should do it and a lot of reasons why she shouldn't". Cameron's main reason why Hamilton should return was that people liked her in the role.{{cite news |last=Haas |first=Mariah |title=Terminator: Dark Fate to be rated R |url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/terminator-dark-fate-rated-r |work=Fox News |agency=Associated Press |date=July 20, 2019 |access-date=July 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724070301/https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/terminator-dark-fate-rated-r |archive-date=July 24, 2019 |url-status=live}} There was never a version of the film that excluded Hamilton and Miller said there was no backup plan in the event that she declined the role.{{cite web |title=SDCC 2019: Tim Miller and Gabriel Luna talk Terminator: Dark Fate |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/sdcc-2019-tim-miller-and-gabriel-luna-talk-terminator-dark-fate |work=Syfy Wire |access-date=August 1, 2019 |date=July 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190729073920/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/sdcc-2019-tim-miller-and-gabriel-luna-talk-terminator-dark-fate |archive-date=July 29, 2019 |url-status=live}}
After approximately six weeks,{{cite web |last=Sharf |first=Zack |title=Linda Hamilton Keeps It Real: Terminator Sequels After Judgment Day Were 'Very Forgettable' |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2019/04/linda-hamilton-terminator-sequels-forgettable-1202056187/ |work=IndieWire |access-date=September 6, 2019 |date=April 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407183338/https://www.indiewire.com/2019/04/linda-hamilton-terminator-sequels-forgettable-1202056187/ |archive-date=April 7, 2019 |url-status=live}} Hamilton chose to sign on to the film, which did not yet have a completed script for her to read; that was still being refined. Initially, Hamilton was unsure if she wanted to reprise the role.{{cite news |last=Rawden |first=Jessica |title=Terminator: Dark Fate
Hamilton spent more than a year working with a fitness trainer to get into physical shape for the role.{{cite news |last=Galuppo |first=Mia |title=Why Linda Hamilton Pushed Herself to Say 'No' on Terminator: Dark Fate Set |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/linda-hamilton-rejected-terminator-dark-fate-lines-1225825 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=July 21, 2019 |access-date=July 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722172646/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/linda-hamilton-rejected-terminator-dark-fate-lines-1225825 |archive-date=July 22, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=Shilstone |first=Mackie |title=How Linda Hamilton Got Back in Sarah Connor Shape for Terminator: Dark Fate: Her Trainer Explains |url=https://deadline.com/2019/10/linda-hamilton-terminator-dark-fate-training-regiment-mackie-shilstone-1202765058/ |work=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=October 22, 2019 |date=October 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022010143/https://deadline.com/2019/10/linda-hamilton-terminator-dark-fate-training-regiment-mackie-shilstone-1202765058/ |archive-date=October 22, 2019 |url-status=live}} Hamilton said she put 10 times more effort into her physique than she did for Terminator 2. This included a regimen of supplements and bioidentical hormones, as well as training with Green Berets.{{cite web |last=Donnelly |first=Erin |title=Linda Hamilton on playing Sarah Connor in her 60s: 'I want people to see me and go, Oh my God, she got so old!' |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/relationships/linda-hamilton-on-playing-sarah-connor-in-her-60s-i-want-people-to-see-me-and-go-oh-my-god-she-got-so-old/ar-AAGL3q5 |work=MSN |access-date=September 6, 2019 |date=September 3, 2019 |archive-date=February 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218020324/https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/relationships/linda-hamilton-on-playing-sarah-connor-in-her-60s-i-want-people-to-see-me-and-go-oh-my-god-she-got-so-old/ar-AAGL3q5 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last=Chichizola |first=Corey |title=Linda Hamilton Says Getting in Shape at 60 for Terminator: Dark Fate Was Super Intense |url=https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2479102/linda-hamilton-says-getting-in-shape-at-60-for-terminator-dark-fate-was-super-intense |work=CinemaBlend |access-date=September 6, 2019 |date=September 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905013238/https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2479102/linda-hamilton-says-getting-in-shape-at-60-for-terminator-dark-fate-was-super-intense |archive-date=September 5, 2019 |url-status=live}} She also took weapons training.{{cite AV media |date=2020 |title=Terminator: Dark Fate |chapter=A Legend Reforged |medium=Blu-ray |time=7:45, 8:05}} Commenting on Hamilton's role, Cameron said he liked the idea of an action film starring a 62-year-old actress.{{cite news |last=Buchanan |first=Kyle |title=Linda Hamilton Fled Hollywood, but Terminator Still Found Her |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/03/movies/linda-hamilton-terminator.html |access-date=September 6, 2019 |work=The New York Times |date=September 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190904170445/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/03/movies/linda-hamilton-terminator.html |archive-date=September 4, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=Reyes |first=Mike |title=Terminator: Dark Fate
In March 2018, it was announced that Mackenzie Davis had been cast in the film. Miller said of Davis, "I didn't just want a woman who could physically fit the role but emotionally as well. Mackenzie really wanted to do it; she came after the role. She worked harder than anybody." After Davis was cast, she undertook physical training for the film's fight scenes.{{cite magazine |last=Lawrence |first=Derek |title=Terminator: Dark Fate director Tim Miller breaks down the new Terminators |url=https://ew.com/comic-con/2019/07/17/terminator-dark-fate-new-terminators/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=July 17, 2019 |access-date=July 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722192738/https://ew.com/comic-con/2019/07/17/terminator-dark-fate-new-terminators/ |archive-date=July 22, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=West |first1=Amy |last2=Geisinger |first2=Gabriella |title=Terminator: Dark Fate stars open up about 'challenging and taxing' training routines |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a29538367/terminator-dark-fate-stars-challenging-training-routine-characters/ |work=Digital Spy |access-date=October 29, 2019 |date=October 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024001457/https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a29538367/terminator-dark-fate-stars-challenging-training-routine-characters/ |archive-date=October 24, 2019 |url-status=live}} Schwarzenegger and Gabriel Luna also underwent physical training for the film.{{cite web |last=Kaye |first=Don |title=Terminator: Dark Fate Creates a New Future for the Franchise |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/terminator-dark-fate/282232/terminator-dark-fate-creates-new-future-franchise |work=Den of Geek |access-date=August 13, 2019 |date=July 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190813173703/https://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/terminator-dark-fate/282232/terminator-dark-fate-creates-new-future-franchise |archive-date=August 13, 2019 |url-status=live}} Luna was first considered for a role in December 2017, when a four-month casting process began for him.{{cite web |last=Scott |first=Ryan |title=Gabriel Luna on Becoming the Rev-9 in 'Terminator: Dark Fate' |url=https://movieweb.com/terminator-in-dark-fate-interview-gabriel-luna/ |website=MovieWeb |access-date=January 31, 2020 |date=January 30, 2020 |archive-date=January 31, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200131123834/https://movieweb.com/terminator-in-dark-fate-interview-gabriel-luna/ |url-status=live }}
The production team wanted to cast an 18-to-20-year-old woman as the new centerpiece of the story.{{Cite news |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/linda-hamilton-set-return-terminator-franchise-1040948 |last=Kit |first=Borys |title=Linda Hamilton Set to Return to Terminator Franchise |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=September 19, 2017 |access-date=November 14, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171114161930/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/linda-hamilton-set-return-terminator-franchise-1040948 |archive-date=November 14, 2017 |url-status= live}} Hamilton rehearsed lines with several actresses who were auditioning for the role of Dani and she immediately felt that Natalia Reyes was the right choice.{{cite magazine |last=Lawrence |first=Derek |title=Linda Hamilton on the badass women of Terminator: Dark Fate: 'We fortified each other' |url=https://ew.com/comic-con/2019/07/23/terminator-dark-fate-linda-hamilton-mackenzie-davis-natalia-reyes/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=July 23, 2019 |access-date=July 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723230907/https://ew.com/comic-con/2019/07/23/terminator-dark-fate-linda-hamilton-mackenzie-davis-natalia-reyes/ |archive-date=July 23, 2019 |url-status=live}} When Reyes sent in an audition tape, all she knew about the project was that it was a "big American movie". She soon had a meeting with Miller through Skype, before coming to Los Angeles to audition with Hamilton. For her next audition, Reyes was flown to Dublin to audition with Davis, who was there shooting another film. The casting process lasted a month and a half for Reyes before she was finally cast. Afterwards, she went through physical training to prepare for the role.{{cite web |last=Davids |first=Brian |title='Terminator' Star Natalia Reyes on Training in Tom Cruise's "Pain Cave" and Earning Linda Hamilton's Blessing |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/terminator-star-natalia-reyes-training-tom-cruises-pain-cave-1252127 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=January 31, 2020 |date=November 4, 2019 |archive-date=December 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214212554/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/terminator-star-natalia-reyes-training-tom-cruises-pain-cave-1252127 |url-status=live }}
Because the film is partially set in Mexico City, the cast includes several Latino actors,{{cite news |last=Donnelly |first=Matt |title=Terminator: Dark Fate Brings Brutal Action and Welcome Inclusion to CinemaCon |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/terminator-dark-fate-cinemacon-inclusion-1203181056/ |work=Variety |date=April 4, 2019 |access-date=July 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190805141055/https://variety.com/2019/film/news/terminator-dark-fate-cinemacon-inclusion-1203181056/ |archive-date=August 5, 2019 |url-status=live}} including Reyes, Luna and Diego Boneta, who were cast as primary characters in April 2018. Reyes said, "This movie is a reflection of Hollywood now. We are just changing these stereotypes and the ideas and the cliches of what a Latino should be."{{cite news |last=Yap |first=Audrey Cleo |title=Terminator: Dark Fate Cast Proud of Latinx Representation in Latest Installment |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/terminator-dark-fate-latinx-representation-natalia-reyes-gabriel-luna-1203272782/ |work=Variety |date=July 18, 2019 |access-date=July 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719163321/https://variety.com/2019/film/news/terminator-dark-fate-latinx-representation-natalia-reyes-gabriel-luna-1203272782/ |archive-date=July 19, 2019 |url-status=live}} Cameron watched all the audition tapes and gave his approval to the casting choices. By June 2018, Jude Collie had been cast as the double for a young John Connor, with Brett Azar reprising his role from Genisys as the body double for a younger T-800.{{cite web |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3502421/photo-shows-return-young-john-connor-terminator-will-take-us-back-90s/ |title=Photo Shows Return of Young John Connor in Terminator, Which Will Take Us Back to the '90s! |first=Brad |last=Miska |date=June 5, 2018 |work=Bloody Disgusting |access-date=June 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612140745/http://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3502421/photo-shows-return-young-john-connor-terminator-will-take-us-back-90s/ |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |url-status=live}}
Cameron announced in July 2019 that Edward Furlong would reprise his role as John Connor from Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Furlong later maintained that his role in the film was small,{{cite web |last=Libbey |first=Dirk |title=Terminator 2
=Filming=
Production was intended to start initially in March 2018, but was delayed due to casting. It was then expected to start during May and end during November with filming taking place in Hungary, the United Kingdom, Spain and Mexico.{{cite web |last=Burwick |first=Kevin |url=https://movieweb.com/new-terminator-movie-production-start-delay-new-characters/ |title=Terminator 6 Shooting Delayed, New Character Details Revealed |date=February 21, 2018 |work=MovieWeb |access-date=July 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180731062233/https://movieweb.com/new-terminator-movie-production-start-delay-new-characters/ |archive-date=July 31, 2018 |url-status=live}} In April 2018, the film's release date was delayed until November 2019.{{cite news |last=Galuppo |first=Mia |title=Next Terminator Movie Pushed Back Four Months to Fall 2019 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/next-terminator-movie-pushed-back-four-months-november-2019-1100659 |access-date=September 1, 2019 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=April 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180407021807/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/next-terminator-movie-pushed-back-four-months-november-2019-1100659 |archive-date=April 7, 2018 |url-status=live}} Filming began in Spain on June 4, 2018, under the working title Terminator 6: Phoenix.{{cite web |last=Camacho |first=N. |url=https://www.lasprovincias.es/culturas/terminator-ficha-actor-20180609004214-ntvo.html |title=Terminator ficha al actor valenciano Enrique Arce |date=June 9, 2018 |work=Las Provincias |language=es |access-date=November 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181110040655/https://www.lasprovincias.es/culturas/terminator-ficha-actor-20180609004214-ntvo.html |archive-date=November 10, 2018 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.theterminatorfans.com/linda-hamilton-wraps-on-terminator-6-phoenix/ |title=Linda Hamilton Wraps on Terminator 6: Phoenix |date=November 5, 2018 |work=TheTerminatorFans |access-date=November 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106210750/https://www.theterminatorfans.com/linda-hamilton-wraps-on-terminator-6-phoenix/ |archive-date=November 6, 2018 |url-status=live}} Filming subsequently moved to Hungary and the United States, before concluding in November 2018.
The film, like Cameron's initial Terminator films, is rated R, whereas the previous two films were rated PG-13.{{cite web |last=Scott |first=Ryan |title=Terminator: Dark Fate Will Be Rated-R Promises James Cameron |url=https://movieweb.com/terminator-dark-fate-r-rated-james-cameron/ |work=MovieWeb |access-date=June 21, 2019 |date=May 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190602111344/https://movieweb.com/terminator-dark-fate-r-rated-james-cameron/ |archive-date=June 2, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last=Patches |first=Matt |title=Why Terminator: Dark Fate had to be rated R |url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/7/18/20699668/terminator-dark-fate-rated-r-violence-language-linda-hamilton-sdcc-2019 |work=Polygon |date=July 18, 2019 |access-date=July 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719153053/https://www.polygon.com/2019/7/18/20699668/terminator-dark-fate-rated-r-violence-language-linda-hamilton-sdcc-2019 |archive-date=July 19, 2019 |url-status=live}} Miller said the film is rated R because "the fans kind of demanded it, in a way", saying that "the DNA of Terminator" is an R-rated movie and that "to not do it R feels disingenuous to the source material".{{cite news |last=Rougeau |first=Michael |title=Terminator: Dark Fate New Scenes Shown at Comic-Con Panel, Arnold Makes an Appearance |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/terminator-dark-fate-new-scenes-shown-at-comic-con/1100-6468515/ |work=GameSpot |date=July 19, 2019 |access-date=July 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724211613/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/terminator-dark-fate-new-scenes-shown-at-comic-con/1100-6468515/ |archive-date=July 24, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=Reyes |first=Mike |title=Tim Miller Explains Why Terminator: Dark Fate Is Rated R |url=https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2476748/tim-miller-explains-why-terminator-dark-fate-is-rated-r |work=CinemaBlend |access-date=August 13, 2019 |date=July 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190813173705/https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2476748/tim-miller-explains-why-terminator-dark-fate-is-rated-r |archive-date=August 13, 2019 |url-status=live}} Initially, certain scenes were filmed in two ways—with and without R-rated violence and language. This gave the filmmakers an alternative in the event that the film's intended R rating should be reconsidered. The filmmakers eventually abandoned this method after deciding definitively on an R-rated film.
During filming, Cameron made further changes to the script to perfect the characters. In some cases, his script changes were submitted to Miller only a day prior to filming the scene. Hamilton rejected certain actions and lines of dialogue that she felt were uncharacteristic for Sarah Connor.{{cite news |last=Arnold |first=Ben |title=Terminator: Dark Fate wanted to soften up Sarah Connor but Linda Hamilton wouldn't have it |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/terminator-dark-fate-wanted-to-soften-up-sarah-connor-but-linda-hamilton-wouldnt-have-it-105336245.html |work=Yahoo! Entertainment |date=July 23, 2019 |access-date=July 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723130145/https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/terminator-dark-fate-wanted-to-soften-up-sarah-connor-but-linda-hamilton-wouldnt-have-it-105336245.html |archive-date=July 23, 2019 |url-status=live}} Schwarzenegger also added and changed some of his own lines during filming. Cameron did not visit the set, as he was busy filming his Avatar sequels. He also did not want to interfere with Miller's directorial work.{{cite web |last=Weintraub |first=Steve "Frosty" |title=Why James Cameron Didn't Want to Be on Set While Terminator: Dark Fate Was Filming |url=https://collider.com/james-cameron-terminator-dark-fate-interview/ |work=Collider |access-date=October 25, 2019 |date=October 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023150036/https://collider.com/james-cameron-terminator-dark-fate-interview/ |archive-date=October 23, 2019 |url-status=live}}
==Spain==
The first day of filming took place in Isleta del Moro, Almería, Spain.{{cite news |last=Martínez |first=D. |title=Terminator ya se rueda en la playa del Rinconcillo en la Isleta del Moro |url=http://www.diariodealmeria.es/ocio/Terminator-rueda-Rinconcillo-Isleta-Moro_0_1249975105.html |date=May 30, 2018 |access-date=May 30, 2018 |work=Diario de Almería |language=es |publisher=Grupo Joly |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180530094920/http://www.diariodealmeria.es/ocio/Terminator-rueda-Rinconcillo-Isleta-Moro_0_1249975105.html |archive-date=May 30, 2018 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last=Martínez |first=D. |title=La Isleta acoge unos decorados para el rodaje de la película Terminator |url=http://www.diariodealmeria.es/ocio/Isleta-decorados-rodaje-pelicula-Terminator_0_1246075952.html |date=May 17, 2018 |access-date=May 30, 2018 |work=Diario de Almería |language=es |publisher=Grupo Joly |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180517093156/http://www.diariodealmeria.es/ocio/Isleta-decorados-rodaje-pelicula-Terminator_0_1246075952.html |archive-date=May 17, 2018 |url-status=live}} It involved the pivotal opening scene featuring the characters of the T-800, Sarah Connor and John Connor. The three characters were portrayed in the scene by body doubles and digital de-aging was later applied to give them a youthful appearance. The doubles wore special hoods that tracked their head movements, allowing their facial features to be replaced later by new motion capture facial footage recorded by Schwarzenegger, Hamilton and Furlong.{{cite web |last=Guerrasio |first=Jason |title=How de-aging tech was used in the shocking opening of Terminator: Dark Fate |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/how-de-aging-tech-worked-in-terminator-dark-fate-opening-2019-11 |work=Business Insider |access-date=November 6, 2019 |date=November 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191105133156/https://www.businessinsider.com/how-de-aging-tech-worked-in-terminator-dark-fate-opening-2019-11 |archive-date=November 5, 2019 |url-status=live}}
During filming of the opening scene, Hamilton expressed dissatisfaction with the body double's portrayal, feeling that it did not accurately reflect the character. Hamilton advised the body double on how to portray the character for a more fierce response to the T-800 character. Hamilton was disappointed that she had no onscreen part in the scene and later said, "It wasn't me and it really hurt. I cried my eyes out when I got home."{{cite web |last=Trenholm |first=Richard |title=Terminator: Dark Fate
Scenes that were set in Mexico were shot entirely in Spain, where filming lasted approximately 30 days.{{cite web |last=Elfring |first=Mat |title=All Of Terminator Dark Fate
In July 2018, filming took place for two weeks in Catral, including the San Juan industrial estate.{{cite news |last=Watkins |first=Alex |title=Terminator 6 comes to Catral |url=https://www.pressreader.com/spain/costa-blanca-news-south-edition/20180622/281479277140754 |access-date=January 30, 2020 |work=Costa Blanca News |date=June 22, 2018 |archive-date=February 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220015101/https://www.pressreader.com/spain/costa-blanca-news-south-edition/20180622/281479277140754 |url-status=live }} Filming also took place in Cartagena,{{cite news |title=Terminator takes over |url=https://www.pressreader.com/spain/costa-blanca-news-south-edition/20180720/281616716152909 |access-date=January 30, 2020 |work=Costa Blanca News |date=July 20, 2018 |archive-date=February 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200223033348/https://www.pressreader.com/spain/costa-blanca-news-south-edition/20180720/281616716152909 |url-status=live }} and at the Aldeadávila Dam. A combination of practical effects and CGI were used for a highway chase sequence in which the Rev-9 pursues Grace, Dani and Diego.{{cite AV media |title=Terminator: Dark Fate Director Breaks Down a Car Chase |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxZUESMrqwE |work=Vanity Fair |access-date=November 14, 2019 |date=November 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191111222944/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxZUESMrqwE&app=desktop |archive-date=November 11, 2019 |url-status=live}} Sarah Connor's present-day introduction also takes place on the highway and Hamilton rehearsed the scene extensively before it was filmed.{{cite news |last=Sblendorio |first=Peter |title=Linda Hamilton explains why Terminator: Dark Fate was 'the hardest and the greatest experience I've ever had' |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/ny-linda-hamilton-terminator-dark-fate-20200130-2v7owww6dzeozdkntozgvpgjae-story.html |access-date=January 30, 2020 |work=New York Daily News |date=January 30, 2020 |archive-date=February 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212210227/https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/ny-linda-hamilton-terminator-dark-fate-20200130-2v7owww6dzeozdkntozgvpgjae-story.html |url-status=live }} Approximately seven freeway locations in Spain had been considered before settling on the final choice, consisting of new roads leading to the then-unopened Región de Murcia International Airport.{{cite news |last=Watkins |first=Alex |title=He'll be back, in November |url=https://www.pressreader.com/spain/costa-blanca-news-north-edition/20190531/281874414890938 |access-date=January 30, 2020 |work=Costa Blanca News |date=May 31, 2019 |archive-date=February 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200223033345/https://www.pressreader.com/spain/costa-blanca-news-north-edition/20190531/281874414890938 |url-status=live }}
The highway chase sequence required a crew of approximately 300 people, with many different film departments involved. A custom-built pod car, similar to a dune buggy, was built to haul a pickup truck during filming. This allowed Davis, Reyes and Boneta to act out their scenes in the truck while the driving was handled by a professional driver in the pod car. Cameras were attached to the pickup truck to film the actors while the vehicle was in motion. One shot filmed at the San Juan industrial estate depicts the Rev-9 driving its plow truck through a wall, which was built specifically for the shot. The highway chase was initially planned to be twice as long. The Rev-9 was to have killed a cop and stolen a motorcycle to continue its pursuit and the motorcycle would be shot at and destroyed. The Rev-9 would subsequently leap onto a truck and then onto Dani's vehicle. The extended sequence was previsualized, but Miller chose not to film it as the sequence was considered "crazy" enough already. Previously, Miller had wanted to film the motorcycle sequence for his 2016 film Deadpool.
==Hungary and U.S.==
Filming moved to Hungary on July 19, 2018. Filming locations there included Origo Film Studios in Budapest.{{cite magazine |first=Flora |last=Carr |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/film/2019-06-07/terminator-dark-fate-cinema-release-date-cast-plot-trailer-arnold-schwarzenegger-linda-hamilton-sarah-connor-returns/ |title=When is Terminator: Dark Fate released in cinemas? Who else is starring with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton? |magazine=Radio Times |date=June 7, 2019 |access-date=June 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190609013457/https://www.radiotimes.com/news/film/2019-06-07/terminator-dark-fate-cinema-release-date-cast-plot-trailer-arnold-schwarzenegger-linda-hamilton-sarah-connor-returns/ |archive-date=June 9, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://24.hu/kultura/2018/03/06/kiderult-mikor-terminatorozhat-budapesten-schwarzenegger/ |title=Kiderült, mikor terminátorozhat Budapesten Schwarzenegger |last=Keresztesi |first=Ferenc |date=March 6, 2018 |work=24.hu |language=hu |access-date=July 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180721014205/https://24.hu/kultura/2018/03/06/kiderult-mikor-terminatorozhat-budapesten-schwarzenegger/ |archive-date=July 21, 2018 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.nlcafe.hu/sztarok/20180718/arnold-schwarzenegger-terminator-6-forgatas-magyarorszag/ |title=A jövő héten érkezik Magyarországra Arnold Schwarzenegger |date=July 18, 2018 |work=nlcafe.hu |language=hu |access-date=July 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720225616/https://www.nlcafe.hu/sztarok/20180718/arnold-schwarzenegger-terminator-6-forgatas-magyarorszag/ |archive-date=July 20, 2018 |url-status=live}}{{cite magazine |last=Lawrence |first=Derek |title=Linda Hamilton on reuniting with Arnold Schwarzenegger for Terminator: Dark Fate |url=https://ew.com/comic-con/2019/07/18/linda-hamilton-arnold-schwarzenegger-reunited-terminator-dark-fate/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=July 18, 2019 |access-date=July 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724211614/https://ew.com/comic-con/2019/07/18/linda-hamilton-arnold-schwarzenegger-reunited-terminator-dark-fate/ |archive-date=July 24, 2019 |url-status=live}} Part of the film's C-5 plane sequence involves the characters floating in the fuselage in zero gravity. Miller spoke with pilots to do research into gravity and the plane's action scenes, which were difficult to choreograph because of the constant gravity changes depicted.{{cite AV media |date=2020 |title=Terminator: Dark Fate |chapter=World Builders |medium=Blu-ray |time=6:15–7:57, 8:50, 11:20–13:25, 14:20, 18:10–22:50, 23:15–27:30}} Hamilton said the film's script was the first one that she did not fully understand, because of the large amount of action. Animated previsualization aided the cast during such scenes. In Budapest, special effects supervisor Neil Corbould created the film's largest set piece: the fuselage of the C-5. The set was constructed on an 85-ton gimbal, the largest ever built. The set was capable of rotating 360 degrees and could tilt backwards and forwards at 10 degrees. It was powered by five 200-liter-per-minute hydraulic pumps, as well as more than a mile and a half of hydraulic hoses. A pit had to be dug in the concrete floor of the sound stage to accommodate the large set, which took approximately five months to design and another five months to build. The set was 60 feet long, half the length of a real C-5 fuselage and it contained a bluescreen at one end for post-production effects to be added in later. The rotating set helped to achieve the sense of gravity needed for the scene and the set also allowed the camera crew members to strap themselves inside. The plane set was padded for actors who shot scenes inside it. Foam replicas of military vehicles were also situated inside the plane with the actors.{{cite web |title=On a Roll |url=https://www.pressreader.com/australia/total-film/20190920/282806423009551 |work=Total Film |access-date=September 26, 2019 |date=September 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926174104/https://www.pressreader.com/australia/total-film/20190920/282806423009551 |archive-date=September 26, 2019 |url-status=live}}
Davis said shooting the film was "the hardest thing" she had ever done because of the physical requirements.{{cite web |last=Shepherd |first=Jack |title=Mackenzie Davis discusses filming Terminator: Dark Fate: 'It was hardest thing I've ever done' |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/terminator-dark-fate-mackenzie-davis-interview/ |work=GamesRadar |access-date=October 29, 2019 |date=October 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191028190150/https://www.gamesradar.com/terminator-dark-fate-mackenzie-davis-interview/ |archive-date=October 28, 2019 |url-status=live}} One scene depicts a Humvee falling out of the C-5 plane, with Grace having to open the vehicle's parachutes to land it safely. Davis was suspended with wires to perform the scene, which was filmed in Budapest.{{cite news |last=Jussim |first=Matthew |title=Terminator: Dark Fate Exclusive Clip: How the Humvee Action Scene Was Made |url=https://www.mensjournal.com/entertainment/terminator-6-exclusive-clip-how-the-humvee-action-scene-was-made/ |access-date=January 30, 2020 |work=Men's Journal |date=January 12, 2020 |archive-date=February 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200223040026/https://www.mensjournal.com/entertainment/terminator-6-exclusive-clip-how-the-humvee-action-scene-was-made/ |url-status=live }} An underwater action scene took weeks to shoot and involved immersing Hamilton and Reyes in a water tank. The scene depicts Sarah and Dani inside the Humvee after it falls over the dam and into water. The scene was shot in a tank surrounded by a large bluescreen stage which depicted the exterior environment. For the scene, each day of shooting took place over 12-hour periods from the evening to the morning. Another scene depicts the T-800 and Rev-9 fighting underwater.{{cite web |last=Pockross |first=Adam |title=Terminator: Dark Fate clip takes murky behind-the-scenes plunge into an underwater showdown |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/terminator-dark-fate-exclusive-blu-ray-clip |work=Syfy Wire |access-date=January 30, 2020 |date=January 14, 2020 |archive-date=January 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200114214859/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/terminator-dark-fate-exclusive-blu-ray-clip |url-status=live }}
The film includes a scene where the characters are held in a detention center on the Mexico–United States border. Miller said it was not meant as a social commentary or political statement on immigrant issues related to the border,{{cite web |last=Lussier |first=Germain |title=Terminator: Dark Fate
In late July 2018, Schwarzenegger began filming scenes in Budapest.{{cite web |last=Miska |first=Brad |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3512729/arnold-schwarzenegger-begins-filming-terminator-scenes/ |title=Arnold Schwarzenegger Begins Filming Terminator Scenes |date=July 30, 2018 |work=Bloody Disgusting |access-date=July 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180731062220/https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3512729/arnold-schwarzenegger-begins-filming-terminator-scenes/ |archive-date=July 31, 2018 |url-status=live}} In September 2018, filming took place at a Mercedes-Benz factory in Kecskemét. Filming in the United States was scheduled to begin in mid-October.{{cite web |url=https://www.theterminatorfans.com/terminator-6-shoot-moves-to-united-states-october-2018/ |title=Terminator 6 Shoot Moves to United States October 2018 |date=September 14, 2018 |work=TheTerminatorFans |access-date=November 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181110080358/https://www.theterminatorfans.com/terminator-6-shoot-moves-to-united-states-october-2018/ |archive-date=November 10, 2018 |url-status=live}} Carl's cabin was built from scratch. While the filmmakers liked the surrounding scenery, they rejected a previous house that was built on the property for another production, so it was torn down to construct the new home. Schwarzenegger completed filming on October 28, 2018.{{cite web |url=https://www.theterminatorfans.com/arnold-schwarzenegger-confirms-terminator-6-wrap/ |title=Arnold Schwarzenegger Confirms Terminator 6 Wrap |date=October 28, 2018 |work=TheTerminatorFans |access-date=November 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181110040525/https://www.theterminatorfans.com/arnold-schwarzenegger-confirms-terminator-6-wrap/ |archive-date=November 10, 2018 |url-status=live}} Filming wrapped in early November 2018.{{cite web |last=Stone |first=Sam |title=Terminator 6: Agents of SHIELD
=Post-production=
Cameron, who also works as a film editor, was heavily involved in the editing of Terminator: Dark Fate. He saw a rough cut of the film in early 2019 and provided Miller with notes on how to improve it feeling it needed to be perfected. He said the film "transformed quite a bit" from the rough cut. The initial cut of the film, known as an assembly cut, was two hours and 50 minutes. Miller's director's cut was closer to the film's final runtime. Three or four minutes were removed from the director's cut, including a few scenes. Some scenes were also trimmed, including the underwater fight and those on board the C-5 airplane.{{cite web |last=Weintraub |first=Steve |title=Tim Miller Talks Terminator: Dark Fate & Why Only One Terminator Comes Back from the Future |url=https://collider.com/tim-miller-terminator-dark-fate-interview/ |work=Collider |access-date=October 31, 2019 |date=October 29, 2019 |at=4:39 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030142328/https://collider.com/tim-miller-terminator-dark-fate-interview/ |archive-date=October 30, 2019 |url-status=live}} In his director's cut, Miller said he removed "a lot of stuff" that Cameron thought was important. Miller also said that he and Cameron had many disagreements about lines of dialogue which Miller thought were "poetic and beautiful", while Cameron thought they were unimportant. Because of the lack of full control throughout the project, Miller said he would likely not work with Cameron again, although the two maintained a good relationship. The final cut of the film runs for 128 minutes.{{Cite web |title=Terminator: Dark Fate |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/terminator-dark-fate-film-qxnzzxq6vlgtotezmdgw |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20211117235955/https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/terminator-dark-fate-film-qxnzzxq6vlgtotezmdgw |archive-date=November 17, 2021 |access-date=November 18, 2021 |website=British Board of Film Classification}}
At one point late in production, Miller considered placing the opening scene later in the film, when Sarah is in the motel room explaining John's death to Grace and Dani. However, Miller said this structure "really changed a whole lot of stuff in a negative way" and he ultimately decided to keep it as an opening scene, in order to start the film off by shocking the audience. The opening scene was originally longer as it featured dialogue between Sarah and John. This was cut from the final film as Cameron and Miller believed that the visual effects did not hold up well when the characters spoke.{{cite web |last=Vejvoda |first=Jim |title=It Was James Cameron's Idea to Kill THAT Terminator Character in Dark Fate |url=https://uk.ign.com/articles/2019/11/02/terminator-dark-fate-john-connor-death-dead-scene |work=IGN |date=November 1, 2019 |access-date=November 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102130954/https://uk.ign.com/articles/2019/11/02/terminator-dark-fate-john-connor-death-dead-scene |archive-date=November 2, 2019 |url-status=live}} Another deleted scene went into more detail on how Carl knew about other Terminators arriving from the future. The scene, written by Cameron, explained that Carl created a cell phone app to track the arrivals, which disrupt cell phone signals. The scene was removed because it was considered too humorous compared to the rest of the sequence, which has a serious tone as it involves Sarah meeting her son's killer. A shot was deleted from Carl's final fight with the Rev-9 that depicted it ripping flesh off of Carl's arm. Miller said, "We had to walk the line between gross and horrific" and he described the arm skin as "hanging like a big piece of jerky", saying, "That's where we drew the line."{{cite web |last=Alexander |first=Bryan |title=Spoilers! That skin-crawling Terminator: Dark Fate battle was originally even grosser |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2019/11/02/terminator-dark-fate-ending-who-dies/4115377002/ |work=USA Today |date=November 2, 2019 |access-date=November 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103155238/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2019/11/02/terminator-dark-fate-ending-who-dies/4115377002/ |archive-date=November 3, 2019 |url-status=live}}
The film contains 2,600 visual effects shots and was edited using Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects.{{cite AV media |title=Behind the Scenes with Terminator: Dark Fate |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDQjaqdshL4 |work=Adobe Inc. |access-date=October 19, 2019 |date=October 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019164911/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDQjaqdshL4 |archive-date=October 19, 2019 |url-status=live}} The visual effects were provided by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and Scanline VFX, supervised by Alex Wang, David Seager, Arek Komorowski. Eric Barba was the production supervisor with help from Blur Studio, Digital Domain, Method Studios, Unit Image, Rebellion VFX, Mammal Studios, Universal Production Partners (UPP),{{Cite web |title=StackPath |url=https://www.thehollywoodnews.com/2020/05/15/cool-videos-before-and-after-vfx-from-terminator-dark-fate/ |access-date=2022-03-24 |website=www.thehollywoodnews.com |date=May 15, 2020 |archive-date=June 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610133635/http://www.thehollywoodnews.com/2020/05/15/cool-videos-before-and-after-vfx-from-terminator-dark-fate/ |url-status=live }} Weta Digital,{{Cite web |date=2019-11-26 |title=Building a Compelling New Future in TERMINATOR: DARK FATE |url=https://www.vfxvoice.com/building-a-compelling-new-future-in-terminator-dark-fate/ |access-date=2022-03-24 |website=VFX Voice Magazine |language=en-US |archive-date=September 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210926092417/https://www.vfxvoice.com/building-a-compelling-new-future-in-terminator-dark-fate/ |url-status=live }} Les Androïds Associés, The Third Floor, Inc. and Cantina Creative.{{cite web |title=Terminator: Dark Fate |url=https://www.artofvfx.com/terminator-dark-fate/ |first=Vincent |last=Frei |date=August 30, 2019 |work=The Art of VFX |access-date=May 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523203917/https://www.artofvfx.com/terminator-dark-fate/ |archive-date=May 23, 2019 |url-status=live}} ILM was initially going to be the sole company working on visual effects, but others were brought on due to the amount of work that had to be done on the film. The Third Floor handled some of the previsualization.{{cite web |last=Hogg |first=Trevor |title=Present Tense: The VFX of Terminator: Dark Fate |url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/vfx/present-tense-the-vfx-of-terminator-dark-fate/ |work=Animation Magazine |access-date=November 22, 2019 |date=November 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191120154205/https://www.animationmagazine.net/vfx/present-tense-the-vfx-of-terminator-dark-fate/ |archive-date=November 20, 2019 |url-status=live}} Method Studios created visual effects for scenes involving the C-5 airplane and a helicopter crash. The company also created an establishing shot of a military base and several shots set during the border crossing.{{cite web |last=Sarto |first=Dan |title=Method Studios Explodes CG Helicopter for Terminator: Dark Fate |url=https://www.awn.com/news/method-studios-explodes-cg-helicopter-terminator-dark-fate |work=Animation World Network |access-date=December 27, 2019 |date=December 24, 2019 |archive-date=December 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191226125039/https://www.awn.com/news/method-studios-explodes-cg-helicopter-terminator-dark-fate |url-status=live }} Blur Studio handled scenes that depict Grace's future as a soldier.
ILM handled the de-aging in the opening scene. ILM's visual effects supervisor, Jeff White, said a lot of work went into the scene to ensure that the characters' faces looked realistic and had the same likenesses as Terminator 2. After seeing the digital head shots, Schwarzenegger provided guidance to the ILM team, which made subtle adjustments to perfect his character's facial movements. The ILM team also created the liquid metal effects of the Rev-9. The team studied time-lapse photography which depicted the growth of algae and fungus and this inspired the liquid metal movements.{{cite web |last=Giardina |first=Carolyn |title=How Dark Fate
According to Cameron in February 2019, the film's working title was Terminator: Dark Fate.{{cite web |last=Alter |first=Ethan |title=James Cameron reveals dark title for new Terminator movie, teases a 'hardened' Sarah Connor |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/james-cameron-reveals-dark-title-new-terminator-movie-teases-hardened-sarah-connor-224538641.html |date=February 8, 2019 |work=Yahoo! Finance |access-date=February 11, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212013756/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/james-cameron-reveals-dark-title-new-terminator-movie-teases-hardened-sarah-connor-224538641.html |archive-date=February 12, 2019 |url-status=live}} This was confirmed as the film's official title the following month.{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2019/03/terminator-dark-fate-new-terminator-title-1202578246/ |title=Paramount Titles James Cameron Produced Terminator Sequel; Pic Will Stay Put On Nov. 1 Against 'Charlie's Angels' |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |work=Deadline Hollywood |date=March 19, 2019 |access-date=March 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190320122410/https://deadline.com/2019/03/terminator-dark-fate-new-terminator-title-1202578246/ |archive-date=March 20, 2019 |url-status=live}}
=Music and soundtrack=
{{Main|Terminator: Dark Fate (soundtrack)|l1=Terminator: Dark Fate (soundtrack)}}
Tom Holkenborg composed the film's score, reuniting with director Tim Miller after their collaboration in Deadpool.{{cite web |last=Couch |first=Aaron |title=Junkie XL to Score Terminator: Dark Fate |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/terminator-dark-fate-lands-composer-junkie-xl-1196327 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=March 22, 2019 |date=March 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322205324/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/terminator-dark-fate-lands-composer-junkie-xl-1196327 |archive-date=March 22, 2019 |url-status=live}} Holkenborg recreated Brad Fiedel's original "Terminator" theme while also introducing Latino elements to reflect the ethnicity of Dani Ramos. He used approximately 15 instruments while composing the score and also used the sound of an anvil and the banging of a washing machine, describing his score as being "way more aggressive" than Fiedel's.{{cite web |last=Wojnar |first=Zak |title=Exclusive Music: Tom Holkenborg Interview: Terminator: Dark Fate |url=https://screenrant.com/terminator-dark-fate-tom-holkenborg-interview/ |work=Screen Rant |access-date=November 1, 2019 |date=October 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101150910/https://screenrant.com/terminator-dark-fate-tom-holkenborg-interview/ |archive-date=November 1, 2019 |url-status=live}} The soundtrack was released digitally on November 1, 2019, by Paramount Music.
Release
=Marketing=
A first-look promotional image showing Hamilton, Davis and Reyes was released in August 2018. It was the subject of comments which criticized the absence of the Terminator and John Connor and received backlash for its focus on the female cast members.{{cite news |last=Ben-Moche |first=Erin |title=First-look at Terminator reboot puts focus on women, drawing 'vile' online response |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/film/105968510/firstlook-at-terminator-reboot-puts-focus-on-women-drawing-vile-online-response |access-date=July 24, 2019 |work=Stuff.co.nz |date=August 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724211617/https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/film/105968510/firstlook-at-terminator-reboot-puts-focus-on-women-drawing-vile-online-response |archive-date=July 24, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last=Sharf |first=Zack |title=Tim Miller says Terminator: Dark Fate will 'scare the f**k' out of misogynistic internet trolls |url=https://www.salon.com/2019/07/11/tim-miller-says-terminator-dark-fate-will-scare-the-fk-out-of-misogynistic-internet-trolls_partner/ |work=Salon |date=July 11, 2019 |access-date=July 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723152826/https://www.salon.com/2019/07/11/tim-miller-says-terminator-dark-fate-will-scare-the-fk-out-of-misogynistic-internet-trolls_partner/ |archive-date=July 23, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last=Child |first=Ben |title=Can shifting to a female-focused future overcome Terminator: Dark Fate
In early October 2019, brief footage of the film was shown during IMAX screenings of Joker. Miller and the cast went on a global press tour to promote the film and Hamilton attended a premiere event in Seoul on October 21, 2019.{{cite web |last=Thilk |first=Chris |title=How Dark Fate Markets a Terminator Franchise Reset |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/how-dark-fate-markets-a-terminator-franchise-reset-1251181 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=October 31, 2019 |date=October 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030222752/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/how-dark-fate-markets-a-terminator-franchise-reset-1251181 |archive-date=October 30, 2019 |url-status=live}}
In the film, Schwarzenegger's character has a van which advertises "Carl's Draperies 888-512-1984" on the side of it. The number was an actual phone number which, when dialed, plays a recording of Schwarzenegger as Carl. The number references May 12, 1984, the date that Kyle Reese time-travels to in the first film.{{cite web |last=Shaw-Williams |first=Hannah |title=Terminator: Dark Fate Easter Eggs & References You Missed |url=https://screenrant.com/terminator-dark-fate-easter-eggs-references/ |work=Screen Rant |access-date=November 8, 2019 |date=November 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108133811/https://screenrant.com/terminator-dark-fate-easter-eggs-references/ |archive-date=November 8, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.newsweek.com/terminator-dark-fate-easter-eggs-carls-draperies-number-message-arnold-schwarzenegger-1469250 |title=Terminator: Dark Fate has a real phone number you can call |last=Spencer |first=Samuel |date=November 1, 2019 |work=Newsweek|language=en |access-date=November 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191107112635/https://www.newsweek.com/terminator-dark-fate-easter-eggs-carls-draperies-number-message-arnold-schwarzenegger-1469250 |archive-date=November 7, 2019 |url-status=live}}
=Theatrical=
Terminator: Dark Fate was theatrically released in Europe on October 23, 2019{{cite web |url=https://www.filmoria.co.uk/terminator-dark-fate-is-coming-to-uk-cinemas-23rd-october/ |title=Terminator: Dark Fate is coming to UK cinemas 23rd October |work=Filmoria.co.uk |date=September 2, 2019 |access-date=September 2, 2019 |archive-date=October 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020144429/https://www.filmoria.co.uk/terminator-dark-fate-is-coming-to-uk-cinemas-23rd-october/ |url-status=live }} and was also theatrically released on November 1, 2019 by Paramount Pictures in the United States and Canada and 20th Century Fox internationally.{{cite web |title=Terminator: Dark Fate Trailer Tease Released |url=https://www.vitalthrills.com/2019/05/21/terminator-dark-fate-trailer-tease/ |first=Mirko |last=Parlevliet |work=Vital Thrills |access-date=August 27, 2019 |date=May 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190827192714/https://www.vitalthrills.com/2019/05/21/terminator-dark-fate-trailer-tease/ |archive-date=August 27, 2019 |url-status=dead}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2019/09/17/terminator-dark-fate-might-be-disneys-next-dark-phoenix-sized-box-office-disaster/ |title=Box Office: Why Terminator: Dark Fate Could Be Another Dark Phoenix-sized Bomb |last=Mendelson |first=Scott |work=Forbes |access-date=October 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020112531/https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2019/09/17/terminator-dark-fate-might-be-disneys-next-dark-phoenix-sized-box-office-disaster/ |archive-date=October 20, 2019 |url-status=live}} On October 19, 2019, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema hosted surprise screenings of the film in 15 theaters, disguised as screenings of Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991).{{cite magazine |last=Hibberd |first=James |title=Terminator: Dark Fate first reactions from surprise fan screenings |url=https://ew.com/movies/2019/10/20/terminator-dark-fate-reactions/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=21 October 2019 |date=20 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021083639/https://ew.com/movies/2019/10/20/terminator-dark-fate-reactions/ |archive-date=October 21, 2019 |url-status=live}} The premiere event for Terminator: Dark Fate in the United States was to be held on October 28, 2019 at TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, but it was canceled because of the nearby wildfires.{{cite news |last=Couch |first=Aaron |title=Paramount Cancels Terminator: Dark Fate Premiere in L.A. Amid Fires |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/paramount-cancels-terminator-dark-fate-premiere-la-fires-1250453 |access-date=October 29, 2019 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=October 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029024243/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/paramount-cancels-terminator-dark-fate-premiere-la-fires-1250453 |archive-date=October 29, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last=Gonzalez |first=Sandra |title=Terminator: Dark Fate red carpet premiere canceled due to wildfires |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/28/entertainment/terminator-dark-fate-premiere-canceled/index.html |access-date=October 29, 2019 |work=CNN |date=October 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029030008/https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/28/entertainment/terminator-dark-fate-premiere-canceled/index.html |archive-date=October 29, 2019 |url-status=live}}
=Home media=
Terminator: Dark Fate was released digitally on January 14, 2020, before its home video releases on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on January 28.{{cite web |last=Foutch |first=Haleigh |title=Terminator: Dark Fate Digital & Blu-ray Release Date & Bonus Features Revealed |work=Collider |url=https://collider.com/terminator-dark-fate-digital-blu-ray-release-date-details-bonus-features/ |access-date=17 December 2019 |archive-date=December 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191218140515/https://collider.com/terminator-dark-fate-digital-blu-ray-release-date-details-bonus-features/ |url-status=live }} Several deleted scenes were included with the home video release, including one in which Sarah learns that Carl has informed Alicia of his past and his true nature as a killing machine.{{cite web |last=Goldberg |first=Matt |title=Exclusive Terminator: Dark Fate Deleted Scene Delves into a T-800's Humanity |url=https://collider.com/terminator-dark-fate-deleted-scene/ |work=Collider |access-date=January 30, 2020 |date=January 13, 2020 |archive-date=February 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200223160502/https://collider.com/terminator-dark-fate-deleted-scene/ |url-status=live }} In another scene, Sarah hijacks a man's vehicle on the highway after Grace and Dani steal hers.{{cite web |last=Keyes |first=Rob |title=Terminator: Dark Fate
Reception
=Box office=
Terminator: Dark Fate grossed $62.3 million in the United States and Canada and $198.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $261.1 million.{{Cite Box Office Mojo |id=6450804 |title=Terminator: Dark Fate |access-date=January 19, 2022}}{{cbignore}} With a production budget between $185–196 million and an additional $80–100 million spent on marketing and distribution, early estimates stated the film needed to earn over $450 million worldwide to break even.{{cite news |first=Rebecca |last=Rubin |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/box-office/terminator-dark-fate-box-office-flop-1203391309/ |title=Box Office Bomb: Terminator: Dark Fate Could Lose Over $100 Million |work=Variety |date=November 3, 2019 |access-date=November 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103233506/https://variety.com/2019/film/box-office/terminator-dark-fate-box-office-flop-1203391309/ |archive-date=November 3, 2019 |url-status=live}} The film ended up losing Paramount, Skydance and other studios $122.6 million.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/04/box-office-bombs-2019-list-1202918753/|title=The Biggest Box Office Bombs Of 2019: Deadline's Most Valuable Blockbuster Tournament|first=Anthony|last=D'Alessandro|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=April 27, 2020|access-date=April 28, 2020|archive-date=April 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200428012104/https://deadline.com/2020/04/box-office-bombs-2019-list-1202918753/|url-status=live}} It was labeled a box-office bomb after its dismal opening weekend,{{cite web |url= https://screenrant.com/terminator-dark-fate-box-office-bomb-opening-losses/ |work=Screen Rant |access-date=9 November 2019 |title=Terminator: Dark Fate on Track to Lose $120 Million After Box Office Bomb |date=November 4, 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191105190603/https://screenrant.com/terminator-dark-fate-box-office-bomb-opening-losses/amp/ |archive-date=November 5, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2019/11/04/seven-reasons-why-james-cameron-and-tim-millers-terminator-dark-fate-starring-arnold-schwarzenegger-linda-hamilton-mackenzie-davis-natalia-reyes-and-gabriel-luna-was-a-box-office-disaster-for-paramount-fox-and-disney/ |work=Forbes |access-date=9 November 2019 |title=7 Reasons Terminator: Dark Fate Was a Box Office Disaster |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191109212742/https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2019/11/04/seven-reasons-why-james-cameron-and-tim-millers-terminator-dark-fate-starring-arnold-schwarzenegger-linda-hamilton-mackenzie-davis-natalia-reyes-and-gabriel-luna-was-a-box-office-disaster-for-paramount-fox-and-disney/amp/ |archive-date=November 9, 2019 |url-status=live}} and it finished as the second biggest bomb of 2019. As a result of the losses, sources close to Skydance said shortly after the release that there were no plans to continue the franchise.{{cite news |first=Pamela |last=McClintock |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/terminator-dark-fate-puts-franchise-ice-faces-120m-loss-1251926? |title=Terminator: Dark Fate Puts Franchise on Ice, Faces $120M-plus Loss |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=November 3, 2019 |access-date=November 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191104145044/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/terminator-dark-fate-puts-franchise-ice-faces-120m-loss-1251926 |archive-date=November 4, 2019 |url-status=live}}
In the United States and Canada, Dark Fate was released at the same time as Harriet, Arctic Dogs and Motherless Brooklyn and was initially projected to gross $40–47 million from 4,086 theaters in its opening weekend.{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/box-office-terminator-dark-fate-harriet-opening-weekend-1203386841/ |title=Box Office: Terminator: Dark Fate to Take Down Harriet, Motherless Brooklyn |last=Rubin |first=Rebecca |work=Variety |date=October 29, 2019 |access-date=October 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029234934/https://variety.com/2019/film/news/box-office-terminator-dark-fate-harriet-opening-weekend-1203386841/ |archive-date=October 29, 2019 |url-status=live}} The film made $2.35 million from Thursday night previews, on a par with the $2.3 million that Genisys made from its Tuesday night previews in 2015, but after making just $10.6 million on its first day, weekend estimates were lowered to $27 million. It went on to debut to $29 million. Although it finished first at the box office, it was the lowest opening in the series since the original film (when accounting for inflation), which was blamed on the lukewarm critical reception, as well as the audience's disinterest in another Terminator film. The film made $10.8 million in its second weekend, dropping 63% and finishing fifth and then $4.3 million in its third weekend, falling to 11th.{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2019/11/doctor-sleep-midway-last-christmas-opening-weekend-box-office-1202780077/ |title=How Doctor Sleep Went into a Coma at the B.O. with Dreary $14M+ Opening, Following Surprise $17M+ Attack by Midway – Update |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |work=Deadline Hollywood |date=November 10, 2019 |access-date=November 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191109161716/https://deadline.com/2019/11/doctor-sleep-midway-last-christmas-opening-weekend-box-office-1202780077/ |archive-date=November 9, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2019/11/ford-v-ferrari-charlies-angels-weekend-box-office-1202787070/ |title=Ford v Ferrari Cruising to $28M+, Charlie's Angels Kicked out of Heaven with $10M+ Start |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |work=Deadline Hollywood |date=November 16, 2019 |access-date=November 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191120184304/https://deadline.com/2019/11/ford-v-ferrari-charlies-angels-weekend-box-office-1202787070/ |archive-date=November 20, 2019 |url-status=live}}
In Germany, the film started out with 132,500 viewers, placing it third on that week's charts.{{cite web |url=http://www.filmstarts.de/nachrichten/18528103.html |title=Terminator: Dark Fate Flops and Has No Chance Against Joker: German Cinema Charts |language=de |last=Meischen |first=Dennis |work=Filmstarts.de |date=October 28, 2019 |access-date=October 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029130732/http://www.filmstarts.de/nachrichten/18528103.html |archive-date=October 29, 2019 |url-status=live}} In the weekend following its international debut, the film grossed $12.8 million from countries in Europe and Asia, considered a low start.{{cite news |last=Tartaglione |first=Nancy |title=Joker Laughing at $850M WW as Maleficent 2 Nears $300M & Terminator: Dark Fate Unlucky with $13M Offshore Bow – International Box Office |url=https://deadline.com/2019/10/joker-850-million-terminator-dark-fate-maleficent-mistress-of-evil-better-days-china-global-international-box-office-1202769930/ |access-date=October 29, 2019 |work=Deadline Hollywood |date=October 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030095215/https://deadline.com/2019/10/joker-850-million-terminator-dark-fate-maleficent-mistress-of-evil-better-days-china-global-international-box-office-1202769930/ |archive-date=October 30, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=Libbey |first=Dirk |title=Terminator: Dark Fate
=Critical response=
{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|score=70|average=6.2|count=351|consensus=Terminator: Dark Fate represents a significant upgrade over its immediate predecessors, even if it lacks the thrilling firepower of the franchise's best installments.|ref=yes|access-date=April 11, 2023}} {{Metacritic film prose| score=54 |count=51 |ref=yes |access-date=}} Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, the same score as its three immediate predecessors, while those at PostTrak gave it an overall positive score of 78%, with 51% saying they would definitely recommend it.
The Hollywood Reporter wrote that critics overall seemed "cautiously excited about Dark Fate, although there's a certain awkwardness about seeing repeated recommendations that it is 'easily the third-best' movie in the series".{{cite news |last=McMillan |first=Graeme |title=Terminator: Dark Fate — What the Critics Are Saying |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/terminator-dark-fate-review-roundup-what-critics-are-saying-1249274 |access-date=October 29, 2019 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=October 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024035606/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/terminator-dark-fate-review-roundup-what-critics-are-saying-1249274 |archive-date=October 24, 2019 |url-status=live}} William Bibbiani of TheWrap wrote that, "Whether Terminator: Dark Fate is the last chapter in this story or the first in an all-new franchise is, for now, irrelevant. The film works either way, bringing the tale of the first two films to a satisfying conclusion while reintroducing the classic storyline, in exciting new ways, to an excited new audience. It's a breathtaking blockbuster, and a welcome return to form."{{cite web |first=William |last=Bibbiani |title=Terminator: Dark Fate Film Review: Linda Hamilton Is Back, and So Is the Franchise's Mojo |url=https://www.thewrap.com/terminator-dark-fate-film-review-arnold-schwarzenegger-linda-hamilton/ |date=October 22, 2019 |work=TheWrap |access-date=October 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023125127/https://www.thewrap.com/terminator-dark-fate-film-review-arnold-schwarzenegger-linda-hamilton/ |archive-date=October 23, 2019 |url-status=live}} Variety{{'}}s Owen Gleiberman called the film "the first vital Terminator sequel since Terminator 2" and wrote that "Terminator: Dark Fate is a movie designed to impress you with its scale and visual effects, but it's also a film that returns, in good and gratifying ways, to the smartly packaged low-down genre-thriller classicism that gave the original Terminator its kick."{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/terminator-dark-fate-review-linda-hamilton-arnold-schwarzenegger-1203377138/ |title=Film Review: Terminator: Dark Fate |last=Gleiberman |first=Owen |author-link=Owen Gleiberman |date=October 23, 2019 |work=Variety |access-date=October 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022234659/https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/terminator-dark-fate-review-linda-hamilton-arnold-schwarzenegger-1203377138/ |archive-date=October 22, 2019 |url-status=live}}
Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal gave the film a negative review, describing it as "cobbled together by dunces in a last-ditch effort to wring revenue from a moribund concept. The plot makes no sense—time travel as multiverse Dada. Worse still, it renders meaningless the struggles that gave the first two films of the franchise an epic dimension."{{cite web |last=Morgenstern |first=Joe |author-link=Joe Morgenstern |title=Terminator: Dark Fate Review: Worse Than Death |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/terminator-dark-fate-review-worse-than-death-11572553842 |work=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=November 1, 2019 |date=October 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101073727/https://www.wsj.com/articles/terminator-dark-fate-review-worse-than-death-11572553842 |archive-date=November 1, 2019 |url-status=live}} Jefferey M. Anderson of Common Sense Media gave the movie two out of five stars: "This sixth Terminator movie erases the events of the previous three (dud) sequels but winds up feeling half-erased itself. It's like a dull, pale, irrelevant carbon copy of a once glorious hit."{{Cite web |url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/terminator-dark-fate |title=Terminator: Dark Fate – Movie Review |date=October 9, 2019 |work=CommonSenseMedia.org |access-date=November 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102135855/https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/terminator-dark-fate |archive-date=November 2, 2019 |url-status=live}} Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.com gave Dark Fate two out of four stars, arguing that it suffered from "empty fanservice" and that Hamilton "deserves better" as does her supporting female cast.{{cite web |last=Lemire |first=Christy |title=Terminator: Dark Fate movie review (2019) |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/terminator-dark-fate-movie-review-2019 |work=RogerEbert.com |access-date=November 3, 2019 |date=November 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102145301/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/terminator-dark-fate-movie-review-2019 |archive-date=November 2, 2019 |url-status=live}} David Ehrlich of IndieWire praised Hamilton's performance and the movie's digital recreations of her, Furlong's and Schwarzenegger's younger likenesses, but concluded that "this painfully generic action movie proves that the Terminator franchise is obsolete".{{cite web |last=Ehrlich |first=David |title=Terminator: Dark Fate Review: This Isn't the Worst Terminator Movie, but It Should Definitely Be the Last One |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2019/10/terminator-dark-fate-review-1202183832/ |work=IndieWire |access-date=November 1, 2019 |date=October 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024072542/https://www.indiewire.com/2019/10/terminator-dark-fate-review-1202183832/ |archive-date=October 24, 2019 |url-status=live}} Tasha Robinson of The Verge stated that some combat sequences "are staged clearly and cleanly", while others "are packed with CGI blurs and muddy action and are hard to follow in even the most basic 'who's where, and are they dead?' kind of way. And when Dark Fate does deign to explain what's going on, it delivers its exposition in a self-important, hushed, clumsy way, as if audiences should be astonished by the most basic plot revelations."{{cite web |last=Robinson |first=Tasha |title=For better and worse, Terminator: Dark Fate is a throwback for the franchise |url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/1/20943302/terminator-dark-fate-review-linda-hamilton-arnold-schwarzenegger-franchise |work=The Verge |access-date=November 3, 2019 |date=November 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102155034/https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/1/20943302/terminator-dark-fate-review-linda-hamilton-arnold-schwarzenegger-franchise |archive-date=November 2, 2019 |url-status=live}}
Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian awarded it two stars out of five, stating "The Terminator franchise has come clanking robotically into view once again with its sixth film – it absolutely will not stop – not merely repeating itself but somehow repeating the repetitions." While he wrote that it was "good to see Hamilton getting a robust role", he added that "sadly, she has to concede badass superiority to Davis." He concluded by writing, "This sixth Terminator surely has to be the last. Yet the very nature of the Terminator story means that going round and round in existential circles comes with the territory."{{cite web |author1=Peter Bradshaw |author1-link=Peter Bradshaw |title=Terminator: Dark Fate review – Arnie's back, and it's never going to stop |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/oct/23/terminator-dark-fate-review-james-cameron-linda-hamilton-arnold-schwarzenegger-cyborg |website=The Guardian |access-date=November 27, 2021 |language=en |date=October 23, 2019 |archive-date=November 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127052652/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/oct/23/terminator-dark-fate-review-james-cameron-linda-hamilton-arnold-schwarzenegger-cyborg |url-status=live }} Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film two stars out of four, calling it a "boring retread" and "so derivative of Judgment Day", although he welcomed the return of Linda Hamilton, praised an "impressively effective" Mackenzie Davis and the "winning screen presence" of Natalia Reyes." Angie Han of Mashable found the film underwhelming and its title to be quite apt: "Dark Fate is too thinly sketched to be anything but pastiche. It feels like a Terminator movie spit out by a machine designed to make Terminator movies. A dark fate for the franchise, indeed."{{cite web |last=Han |first=Angie |title=Terminator: Dark Fate is a robotic rehash of familiar beats |url=https://mashable.com/article/terminator-dark-fate-movie-review/ |work=Mashable |access-date=November 1, 2019 |date=November 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101145912/https://mashable.com/article/terminator-dark-fate-movie-review/ |archive-date=November 1, 2019 |url-status=live}}
Regarding the film's mixed reception, Tim Miller believed that some audiences were predisposed to dislike the film after being disappointed by the last three films, adding that some audiences "hate it because it's the sixth movie, and Hollywood should be making original movies and not repeating franchises". Miller later gave a more blunt assessment in 2022: "Terminator's an interesting movie to explore, but maybe we've explored it enough. I went in with the rock hard nerd belief that if I made a good movie that I wanted to see, it would do well. And I was wrong. It was one of those f**king Eureka moments in a bad way because the movie tanked."{{cite web |last1=D'Alessandro |first1=Anthony |last2=Fleming |first2=Ryan |title=Tim Miller On His Attempt To Revive 'Terminator' Franchise With 'Dark Fate': "I Was Wrong" – Comic-Con |url=https://deadline.com/2022/07/comic-con-tim-miller-terminator-dark-fate-1235075669/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=23 July 2022 |date=23 July 2022 |archive-date=July 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220723075741/https://deadline.com/2022/07/comic-con-tim-miller-terminator-dark-fate-1235075669/ |url-status=live }}
James Cameron reflected on Dark Fate in 2022: "I'm actually reasonably happy with the film ... I think the problem, and I'm going to wear this one, is that I refused to do it without Arnold ... And then Tim wanted Linda. I think what happened is I think the movie could have survived having Linda in it, I think it could have survived having Arnold in it, but when you put Linda and Arnold in it and then, you know, she's 60-something, he's 70-something, all of a sudden it wasn't your Terminator movie, it wasn't even your dad's Terminator movie, it was your granddad's Terminator movie. And we didn't see that ... it was just our own myopia. We kind of got a little high on our own supply and I think that's the lesson there."{{cite web |last1=Fleming |first1=Mike Jr. |title=James Cameron On His Titanic 'Avatar' Sequel Bet, 'Terminator' Remorse, Teaching Sigourney Weaver & Kate Winslet The 7-Minute Breath Holding Swim |url=https://deadline.com/2022/12/james-cameron-avatar-the-way-of-water-terminator-remorse-sigourney-weaver-kate-winslet-7-minute-breath-holding-swim-1235197918/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=13 December 2022 |date=13 December 2022}}
Schwarzenegger also gave a blunt assessment in a 2023 interview about the franchise: "The first three movies were great. Number four [Salvation] I was not in because I was governor. Then five [Genisys] and six [Dark Fate] didn't close the deal as far as I'm concerned. We knew that ahead of time because they were just not well written."{{cite web |last1=Hibberd |first1=James |title=Arnold Schwarzenegger Gets Candid on Career, Failures, Aging: "My Plan Is to Live Forever" |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/arnold-schwarzenegger-interview-netflix-fubar-terminator-conan-1235491977/ |website=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=17 May 2023 |date=16 May 2023}}
==Fate of John Connor==
The death of John Connor early in the film was criticized by both critics and fans.{{cite web |last=Sandwell |first=Ian |title=Terminator: Dark Fate anger over *that* character is missing the point |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a29621092/terminator-dark-fate-john-connor-dead-controversy/ |work=Digital Spy |access-date=October 30, 2019 |date=October 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030073247/https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a29621092/terminator-dark-fate-john-connor-dead-controversy/ |archive-date=October 30, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last=O'Sullivan |first=Michael |title=Terminator: Dark Fate is as good as the first two films — because it ignores what happened in the last three |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/terminator-dark-fate-is-as-good-as-the-first-two-films--because-it-ignores-what-happened-in-the-last-three/2019/10/30/5977e42c-f835-11e9-8cf0-4cc99f74d127_story.html?arc404=true |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=November 1, 2019 |date=October 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031174337/https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/terminator-dark-fate-is-as-good-as-the-first-two-films--because-it-ignores-what-happened-in-the-last-three/2019/10/30/5977e42c-f835-11e9-8cf0-4cc99f74d127_story.html?arc404=true |archive-date=October 31, 2019 |url-status=live}} Fred Hawson of News.ABS-CBN.com wrote that "deciding to lose John Connor early on in this one made the emotional heart of the first two classic Terminator films stop beating as well."{{cite web |last=Hawson |first=Fred |title=Movie review: Terminator: Dark Fate has failed the franchise |url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/10/31/19/movie-review-terminator-dark-fate-has-failed-the-franchise |work=News.ABS-CBN.com |access-date=October 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031092353/https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/10/31/19/movie-review-terminator-dark-fate-has-failed-the-franchise |archive-date=October 31, 2019 |url-status=live}} Richard Roeper argued that killing John Connor ruined what the previous two films established: "Even though Dark Fate tosses aside the third, fourth and fifth entries in the series like a Terminator disposing of a hapless cop, it also undercuts the impact of the first film and the follow-up (which is one of the two or three greatest sequels of all time). First, they get rid of the John Connor character in almost casual fashion."{{cite web |last=Roeper |first=Richard |author-link=Richard Roeper |title=Too much deja vu makes Terminator: Dark Fate a boring retread |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/10/30/20940088/terminator-dark-fate-review-boring-retread-of-previous-plots-arnold-schwarzenegger |work=Chicago Sun-Times |access-date=November 1, 2019 |date=October 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031143426/https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/10/30/20940088/terminator-dark-fate-review-boring-retread-of-previous-plots-arnold-schwarzenegger |archive-date=October 31, 2019 |url-status=live}}
Corey Plante of Inverse, who was critical of Furlong's portrayal of the character in Terminator 2, nonetheless found his character's death off-putting: "The character at the focus of every previous Terminator movie—the same young boy I irrationally hated since I was a young boy myself—was dead. Needless to say, it rattled me."{{cite web |last=Plante |first=Corey |title=Terminator: Dark Fate boldly retcons the most cringeworthy part of T2 |url=https://www.inverse.com/article/60436-terminator-dark-fate-john-connor-edward-furlong-t2-cameo |work=Inverse.com |access-date=November 1, 2019 |date=October 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101145914/https://www.inverse.com/article/60436-terminator-dark-fate-john-connor-edward-furlong-t2-cameo |archive-date=November 1, 2019 |url-status=live}} He also found that replacing him with new heroes undermined the Connors' importance established in the previous films: "The future that made [Sarah Connor] important died with John, and now there's a new Terminator story with a new set of heroes that makes it seem like no matter how many times Skynet or its next iteration sends a murder robot back in time to kill someone, there will always be a new hero waiting to rise up." Robert Yaniz Jr. of CheatSheet described the twist as unthinkable: "In an instant, the entire crux of the franchise—the human resistance led by John—is torn away."{{Cite web |url=https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/terminator-dark-fate-where-does-the-ending-leave-the-franchise.html |title=Terminator: Dark Fate: Where Does the Ending Leave the Franchise? |first=Robert Jr. |last=Yaniz |date=November 3, 2019 |work=CheatSheet.com |access-date=November 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103232931/https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/terminator-dark-fate-where-does-the-ending-leave-the-franchise.html |archive-date=November 3, 2019 |url-status=live}}
Matt Goldberg of Collider felt the opening did irreparable damage to the legacy of Terminator 2 by rendering it pointless: "Every sequel since has diminished the ending of Judgment Day because the story 'needs' to continue (because studios like money and can't leave well enough alone). But Terminator: Dark Fate may be the worst offender thus far as its prologue directly follows T2 and goes for shock value rather than considering what it means to continue the narrative."{{Cite web |url=https://collider.com/terminator-dark-fate-prologue-t2-problem/ |title=How Terminator: Dark Fate Damages the Legacy of Terminator 2 |website=Collider |date=November 4, 2019 |access-date=November 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191105013613/https://collider.com/terminator-dark-fate-prologue-t2-problem/ |archive-date=November 5, 2019 |url-status=live}} Richard Trenholm of CNET felt the opening twist summed up everything wrong with Dark Fate: "The joy [of seeing the de-aged characters] instantly becomes cringeworthy, as this prologue undermines Terminator 2 by killing a major character in such a cursory fashion it just feels silly."{{cite web |date=November 1, 2019 |last=Trenholm |first=Richard |title=Terminator: Dark Fate review – Linda and Arnie are back, but it's no T2 |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/terminator-dark-fate-review-linda-hamilton-arnold-schwarzenegger-back-but-this-is-no-t2/ |work=CNET.com |access-date=November 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102104230/https://www.cnet.com/news/terminator-dark-fate-review-linda-hamilton-arnold-schwarzenegger-back-but-this-is-no-t2/ |archive-date=November 2, 2019 |url-status=live}} Ian Sandwell of Digital Spy suggested that the twist was not particularly important, given that in the other films, John Connor only exists to "motivate the other characters and sets the plot in motion" and that John's role as a future leader had already been rendered moot through the elimination of Skynet.
About the controversial scene, Furlong also expressed his displeasure and hoped to reprise the role in full in a future film.{{cite web |url=https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2485723/why-terminators-edward-furlong-was-bummed-out-about-his-dark-fate-role |title=Why Terminator
Cathal Gunning of Screen Rant noted the similarity between the decision to kill off John Connor in the opening scene to the deaths of Newt and Corporal Dwayne Hicks in Alien 3, which was criticized by Cameron, who had directed the preceding film, Aliens.{{cite web |last1=Gunning |first1=Cathal |title=How Terminator: Dark Fate Stole Alien 3's Opening Scene |url=https://screenrant.com/terminator-dark-fate-movie-alien-3-opening-scene-copy-explained/ |website=Screen Rant |access-date=30 August 2021 |date=12 November 2020 |archive-date=August 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828152436/https://screenrant.com/terminator-dark-fate-movie-alien-3-opening-scene-copy-explained/ |url-status=live }}
=Accolades=
Terminator: Dark Fate received a nomination for Outstanding Special (Practical) Effects in a Photoreal or Animated Project at the 18th Visual Effects Society Awards.{{Cite web |last=Giardina |first=Carolyn |date=January 29, 2020 |title=The Lion King Wins Top Honor at Visual Effects Society Awards |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/2020-visual-effects-society-awards-winners-full-list-1270527/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200130115517/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/2020-visual-effects-society-awards-winners-full-list-1270527/ |archive-date=January 30, 2020 |access-date=January 24, 2025 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}} At the 2020 Dragon Awards, the film received a nomination for Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Movie.{{Cite web |date=September 8, 2020 |title=2020 Dragon Awards Winners |url=https://locusmag.com/2020/09/2020-dragon-awards-winners/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200911072446/https://locusmag.com/2020/09/2020-dragon-awards-winners/ |archive-date=September 11, 2020 |access-date=March 4, 2023 |website=Locus}} It was nominated in two categories at the 2021 Golden Trailer Awards: "Talk" (Create Advertising Group) for Best Action and "Non Stop" (Aspect Ratio) for Best Home Ent Action.{{Cite web |last1=Crist |first1=Allison |last2=Perez |first2=Lexy |date=July 22, 2021 |title=Golden Trailer Awards: A Quiet Place: Part II, Black Widow Among Winners |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/2021-golden-trailer-awards-winners-list-1234978230/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813002922/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/2021-golden-trailer-awards-winners-list-1234978230/ |archive-date=August 13, 2021 |access-date=March 4, 2023 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}} Terminator: Dark Fate received three Saturn Award nominations for Best Science Fiction Film, Best Supporting Actress (for Hamilton) and Best Special Effects in 2021.{{Cite web |last=Hipes |first=Patrick |date=March 4, 2021 |title=Saturn Awards Nominations: Star Wars: Rise Of Skywalker, Tenet, Walking Dead, Outlander Lead List |url=https://deadline.com/2021/03/saturn-awards-nominations-2021-nominees-list-1234706492/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307215716/https://deadline.com/2021/03/saturn-awards-nominations-2021-nominees-list-1234706492/ |archive-date=March 7, 2021 |access-date=April 22, 2021 |website=Deadline Hollywood}}{{Cite web |last=Tartaglione |first=Nancy |date=October 27, 2021 |title=Saturn Awards Winners: Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Leads With Five Prizes – Full List |url=https://deadline.com/2021/10/saturn-awards-winners-2021-full-list-star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-knives-out-star-trek-1234863222/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20211027082215/https://deadline.com/2021/10/saturn-awards-winners-2021-full-list-star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-knives-out-star-trek-1234863222/ |archive-date=October 27, 2021 |access-date=April 1, 2022 |website=Deadline Hollywood }}
Other media
=Video games=
The 2019 video game Gears 5 allows the player to play as either Sarah Connor with Hamilton voicing her character, Grace or a T-800 Terminator model. The game was released on September 6, 2019.{{cite magazine |last=Shanley |first=Patrick |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/e3-2019-xbox-debuts-terminator-dark-fate-gears-5-crossover-1216070 |title=Terminator: Dark Fate, Gears 5 Crossover Unveiled |magazine=The Hollywood Reporter |date=June 9, 2019 |access-date=June 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190610013815/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/e3-2019-xbox-debuts-terminator-dark-fate-gears-5-crossover-1216070 |archive-date=June 10, 2019 |url-status=live}} The T-800 model was later a downloadable playable character in Mortal Kombat 11, using Schwarzenegger's likeness, but without the actor voicing the character; he was voiced by Chris Cox instead of Schwarzenegger. The downloadable content was released on October 8, 2019.{{cite web |url=https://www.gamerevolution.com/guides/538907-mortal-kombat-11-kombat-pack-1-release-date-characters-mk11-spawn |title=Mortal Kombat 11 Kombat Pack – Release date and characters |last=Leri |first=Michael |date=August 21, 2019 |work=GameRevolution.com |access-date=September 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190822103316/https://www.gamerevolution.com/guides/538907-mortal-kombat-11-kombat-pack-1-release-date-characters-mk11-spawn |archive-date=August 22, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{cite magazine |last=Shanley |first=Patrick |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/arnold-schwarzenegger-not-voicing-mortal-kombat-11-terminator-role-1234209 |title=Arnold Schwarzenegger Not Voicing Mortal Kombat 11 Terminator Role |magazine=The Hollywood Reporter |date=August 23, 2019 |access-date=August 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190824011037/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/arnold-schwarzenegger-not-voicing-mortal-kombat-11-terminator-role-1234209 |archive-date=August 24, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=Moyse |first=Chris |title=Terminator is available today in Mortal Kombat 11 for Kombat Pass owners |url=https://www.destructoid.com/terminator-is-available-today-in-mortal-kombat-11-for-kombat-pass-owners-569037.phtml |work=Destructoid |access-date=October 30, 2019 |date=October 8, 2019 |archive-date=April 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414043403/https://www.destructoid.com/terminator-is-available-today-in-mortal-kombat-11-for-kombat-pass-owners-569037.phtml |url-status=live }}
A mobile game, titled Terminator: Dark Fate – The Game, was released in October 2019.{{cite web |last=Takahashi |first=Dean |title=Terminator: Dark Fate – The Game coming to mobile from Skydance and Firefly Games |url=https://venturebeat.com/2019/09/27/terminator-dark-fate-the-game-coming-to-mobile-from-skydance-and-firefly-games/ |work=VentureBeat |access-date=October 1, 2019 |date=September 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191001161023/https://venturebeat.com/2019/09/27/terminator-dark-fate-the-game-coming-to-mobile-from-skydance-and-firefly-games/ |archive-date=October 1, 2019 |url-status=live}}
The PC game, Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance, developed by Slitherine Software in collaboration with Skydance,{{cite web |title=Terminator: Dark Fate - Defiance |url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/1839950/Terminator_Dark_Fate__Defiance/ |website=Steam |access-date=December 2, 2023}} was released on February 21, 2024.{{cite web |last=Dedmon |first=Tanner |title=Terminator: Dark Fate - Defiance Release Date Delayed |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/terminator-dark-fate-defiance-release-date/ |website=ComicBook.com |access-date=December 2, 2023 |date=November 30, 2023}} It is a real-time tactics game that takes place ten years after the Judgment Day, during the war between humans and Legion.{{cite web |last=Robinson |first=Joe |title=A Terminator RTS strategy game is coming that tasks you with winning Judgement Day |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/terminator-dark-fate-defiance/rts-game |website=PCGamesN |access-date=December 25, 2021 |date=December 14, 2021}}{{cite web |last=Reeves |first=Brianna |title=Terminator: Dark Fate's Universe Continues In New RTS, Defiance |url=https://screenrant.com/terminator-dark-fate-defiance-rts-game-revealed/ |website=ScreenRant |access-date=December 25, 2021 |date=December 16, 2021}} The player assumes the role of Lieutenant Alex Church, a commander of the Founders, a group consisting of ex-U.S. military personnel. A multiplayer mode features two other playable factions: Movement (a human resistance organization) and Legion.{{cite web |last=Valentine |first=Rebekah |title=Terminator Dark Fate: Defiance Brings The Terminator to the RTS Genre |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/terminator-dark-fate-defiance-rts-genre |website=IGN |access-date=December 25, 2021 |date=December 15, 2021}} The game received "mixed or average" reviews according to Metacritic, with a score of 72 out of 100.{{cite web |title=Terminator: Dark Fate - Defiance |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/terminator-dark-fate-defiance/ |website=Metacritic |access-date=March 1, 2024}} Alex Avard of Empire found the quality of Terminator games to be inconsistent, but wrote that Dark Fate – Defiance, with its "tightly designed" gameplay, "may have just helped to raise that historically low bar a little bit higher."{{cite web |last=Avard |first=Alex |title=Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance |url=https://www.empireonline.com/gaming/reviews/terminator-dark-fate-defiance/ |website=Empire |access-date=March 1, 2024 |date=February 21, 2024}} Jon Bolding of IGN criticized the game's difficulty.{{cite web |last=Bolding |first=Jon |title=Terminator: Dark Fate - Defiance Review |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/terminator-dark-fate-defiance-review |website=IGN |access-date=March 1, 2024 |date=February 29, 2024}}
=Toys=
National Entertainment Collectibles Association released action figures based on the film and Chronicle Collectibles released an 18-inch T-800 statue.{{cite web |last=Anderton |first=Ethan |title=Cool Stuff: Terminator: Dark Fate Statue and NECA Action Figures Fight for the Future |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/cool-stuff-terminator-dark-fate-statue-and-neca-action-figures-and-statue/ |work=/Film |access-date=November 6, 2019 |date=November 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191106181247/https://www.slashfilm.com/cool-stuff-terminator-dark-fate-statue-and-neca-action-figures-and-statue/ |archive-date=November 6, 2019 |url-status=live}}
=Canceled sequels=
Plans for a new Terminator film trilogy were announced in July 2017. While working on the story for Terminator: Dark Fate that year, Cameron and the writers envisioned the film as the first in the new trilogy. They also worked out the basic storylines for each planned film. In October 2019, Cameron said that sequels to Terminator: Dark Fate would further explore the relationship between humans and artificial intelligence, while stating that a resolution between the two feuding sides would be the ultimate outcome.{{cite web |last=Vejvoda |first=Jim |title=How Terminator: Dark Fate Sets Up Two Sequels |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/10/22/terminator-dark-fate-sequels-james-cameron-interview |work=IGN |access-date=October 25, 2019 |date=October 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025164234/https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/10/22/terminator-dark-fate-sequels-james-cameron-interview |archive-date=October 25, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=Weintraub |first=Steve 'Frosty' |title=James Cameron Reveals What Future Terminator Sequels Will Explore |url=https://collider.com/what-future-terminator-sequels-will-explore/ |work=Collider |access-date=October 25, 2019 |date=October 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025164235/https://collider.com/what-future-terminator-sequels-will-explore/ |archive-date=October 25, 2019 |url-status=live}} That month, Schwarzenegger said that Cameron would write the Terminator: Dark Fate sequels and that Cameron would begin work on the next film in early 2020, for release in 2022.{{cite web |title=Arnold Schwarzenegger |url=https://www.pressreader.com/france/la-manche-libre-saint-lo/20191019/page/139 |work=La Manche Libre |access-date=October 25, 2019 |location=Saint-Lô |language=fr |date=October 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025164235/https://www.pressreader.com/france/la-manche-libre-saint-lo/20191019/page/139 |archive-date=October 25, 2019 |url-status=live}}
Although the events of Terminator: Dark Fate erase Schwarzenegger's T-800 character from existence, Cameron did not rule out the possibility of Schwarzenegger reprising the character, saying, "Look, if we make a ton of money with this film [Dark Fate] and the cards say that they like Arnold, I think Arnold can come back. I'm a writer. I can think of scenarios. We don't have a plan for that right now, let me put it that way." Hamilton said in October 2019 that she would probably reprise her role for a sequel,{{cite web |last=Shepherd |first=Jack |title=Linda Hamilton discusses revisiting Sarah Connor in Terminator: Dark Fate: 'It was very painful' |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/terminator-dark-fate-interview-linda-hamilton-arnold-schwarzenegger/ |work=GamesRadar |access-date=October 25, 2019 |date=October 24, 2019 |at=4:55 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025164234/https://www.gamesradar.com/terminator-dark-fate-interview-linda-hamilton-arnold-schwarzenegger/ |archive-date=October 25, 2019 |url-status=live}} although she joked that she would fake her own death to avoid appearing in it, saying that making Terminator: Dark Fate "really was hard" because of the physical training she had to undergo.{{cite web |last=Napoli |first=Jessica |title=Linda Hamilton reveals she lost so much weight for Terminator sequel, production had to 'build her a new butt' |url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/linda-hamilton-weight-loss-terminator-movie |work=Fox News |access-date=October 25, 2019 |date=October 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025064556/https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/linda-hamilton-weight-loss-terminator-movie |archive-date=October 25, 2019 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=Holmes |first=Adam |title=Would Linda Hamilton Return for a Terminator: Dark Fate Sequel? She'd Rather Fake Her Death |url=https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2483006/would-linda-hamilton-return-for-a-terminator-dark-fate-sequel-shed-rather-fake-her-death |work=CinemaBlend |access-date=October 25, 2019 |date=October 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024081024/https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2483006/would-linda-hamilton-return-for-a-terminator-dark-fate-sequel-shed-rather-fake-her-death |archive-date=October 24, 2019 |url-status=live}} In April 2024, Hamilton confirmed that she was done with the role.{{cite web |last1=Blevins |first1=Adam |title=Linda Hamilton Says She Will Never Return to 'Terminator' After 'Dark Fate' |url=https://collider.com/linda-hamilton-terminator-not-returning/ |website=Collider |access-date=20 April 2024 |language=en |date=12 April 2024}}
Following the film's performance at the box office, sources close to Skydance told The Hollywood Reporter that there are no plans for further films. In June 2020, star Mackenzie Davis expressed: "I really loved the movie and I'm so proud of what we did, but there wasn't a demand for it [at the box office] and to think that there'd be a demand for a seventh film is quite insane. You should just pay attention to what audiences want".{{cite web |last=Flood |first=Alex |title=Mackenzie Davis: "There's no demand for a 'Terminator: Dark Fate' sequel' |url=https://www.nme.com/film-interviews/terminator-dark-fate-star-mackenzie-davis-thinking-thered-be-demand-for-a-seventh-film-is-insane-2695803 |website=NME |access-date=5 October 2020 |date=26 June 2020 |archive-date=January 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118143012/https://www.nme.com/film-interviews/terminator-dark-fate-star-mackenzie-davis-thinking-thered-be-demand-for-a-seventh-film-is-insane-2695803 |url-status=live }} Later in December, Davis went on to reveal that the seventh film would not have been a sequel to Dark Fate, but a spin-off focusing on an alternate timeline version of Grace set in the future war similar to Terminator Salvation and would not have featured Schwarzenegger.{{cite web |last1=Baxter |first1=Joseph |title=Terminator 7 Would Have Introduced an Alternate Timeline |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/terminator-7-alternate-timeline-mackenzie-davis/ |website=Den of Geek |access-date=15 October 2021 |date=1 December 2020 |archive-date=August 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828210210/https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/terminator-7-alternate-timeline-mackenzie-davis/ |url-status=live }}
=Reboot=
{{Further|Terminator (franchise)#Future|l1=Terminator (franchise) § Future}}
It was later reported in May 2023 that Cameron was developing a script for a Terminator reboot.{{cite web |last1=Cavanaugh |first1=Patrick |title=Terminator: James Cameron Reportedly Started Writing Script for New Installment |url=https://comicbook.com/movies/news/terminator-new-movie-james-cameron-sequel-script-plans-ai/ |website=ComicBook.com |access-date=29 May 2023 |language=en |date=25 May 2023}}
Notes
{{Notelist}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://skydance.com/film/terminator-dark-fate/}}
- {{IMDb title|id=tt6450804 |title=Terminator: Dark Fate}}
- {{Rotten Tomatoes|terminator_dark_fate|Terminator: Dark Fate}}
- {{Metacritic film|title=Terminator: Dark Fate}}
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