New 'Terminator' film may move forward at Annapurna Pictures

'The Terminator' (1984)

Credit: MGM

Is the indestructible "Terminator" franchise ready to be resurrected once again?

Annapurna Pictures secured the film rights to the sci-fi series in 2011, and they finally seem ready to move forward with the series' fifth film. 

The company Tweeted this "T2"-inspired news yesterday: "The whole thing goes: The future's not set. There's no fate but what we make for ourselves." -John Connor, Terminator 2 (news is coming)." Could the "news" be the announcement of a writer, director and/or cast?

No one is currently attached to the project. "Fast and Furious" director Justin Lin had been part of a package deal to direct the film in 2011, with original star Arnold Schwarzenegger potentially returning, but those plans fell through.

The 1984 original "The Terminator" was a surprise hit, launching the career of writer-director James Cameron and solidifying Schwarzenegger's box office status. The 1991 sequel "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" was a worldwide phenomenon, but "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" (2003), and "Terminator Salvation" (2009) seemed to disappoint most fans and critics and met with diminishing box office returns. 

Although Cameron wasn't involved with the last two films (and seems far too busy with the "Avatar" sequels to return to the cybernetic series even if he wanted to), it's always a possibility that the suddenly-prolific Schwarzenegger could return, if only for a cameo role.

There's no word yet if "Terminator 5" will pick up after "Salvation" (which starred Christian Bale as John Connor), ignore the last two films, or start over completely. 

It will be a change of pace for Annapurna, who have backed some of 2012's artier cineplex movie fare like "The Master," "Lawless" and the upcoming "Killing Me Softly" and "Zero Dark Thirty." While critically acclaimed, none of their films have done much in the way of box office. They'll soon be releasing Spike Jonze's "She" and Wong Kar-Wai's "The Grandmasters."

Would you be interested in another "Terminator" film? Who would you want to direct it?