There is no “Terminator7” as yet, no plot, director, producers, anything, just Paramount noodling over the idea. But IMO, they should do one of two things:
1: Give it up. At least until 2029.
2: Do something different.
“Dark Fate” was so *aggressively* bad that the whole franchise has a stain on it now, like finding out that your favorite politician visited Epstein Island, kicks puppies and talks in theaters. But what I would like to see, were I given the reigns and a hundred million to make a movie: I’d ditch everything post “Terminator,” even unto ignoring T2 (*note), and go straight to the Future War against Skynet. Not early in the war like “Salvation,” but the *end* of the war. I’d want two movies: the first shows the battle up to the climax. The second one shows the world *after* victory. No Terminators or Skynet, no war against the machines, just humanity picking up the pieces. A fight among survivors about just how; some want to live like Amish, some want to use Skynets tech to rebuild the cities, restore the land, live out among the stars. Perhaps have true AI, but not of the “destroy all humans” variety. End showing a few generations down the line with humans and AI getting along, colonizing Pluto, say.
What do you want to bet we’ll instead get time travelling robots and lots of CGI splosions.
*Note: alternative: assume T2 happened, but obviously Cyberdyne backed up their data elsewhere. The raid on the complex didn’t change the future; Judgement Day still happens, catching the Connors a little off guard, but still prepped for action.
