Future of Terminator: Dark fate's loss leads to animated series revival

The financial result of the latest "Terminator" was unmistakable. "Dark Fate" became the final instalment of one of the most famous film series in cinema history. We are unlikely to see "Terminator" on the big screen again; however, the largest streaming platform has attempted to revive the franchise.

"Terminator: Dark Fate" cost £150 million. It would have needed to earn at least £320 million in cinemas to make a profit. However, revenues reached only £210 million. "More and more often, success is not achieved by good or bad films, but by trendy ones. And the brand created in the eighties by James Cameron simply stopped being trendy. And nothing can be done about it," wrote one critic.

Good reviews had no impact on improving the film's popularity in cinemas. On Rotten Tomatoes, the 2019 production garnered 70 per cent positive reviews from critics and 82 per cent positive reviews from viewers. Each year, the value of "Dark Fate" grows, but there is no hope for a return to the iconic roles of Arnold Schwarzenegger or Linda Hamilton, at least in a live-action version.

Netflix has just presented the trailer for the animated series Terminator Zero, which was created in collaboration with Skydance Animation and the Japanese studio Production I.G.

The series' action will take place in two time periods. In 2022, a decades-long war raged between a small group of human survivors and an unending army of machines. The only chance for humanity's survival is to go back in time. A resistance soldier is sent to 1997, where the artificial intelligence known as Skynet gained self-awareness and started a full-scale war. The protagonist's mission is to protect a scientist developing a new code that could prevent the AI rebellion. She is pursued by a ruthless assassin from the future.

The premiere of the eight-episode series "Terminator Zero" is scheduled for 29 August. The voice cast includes, among others, Rosario Dawson, who voices the artificial intelligence, and Timothy Olyphant, who will try to replace Arnold Schwarzenegger by voicing the Terminator.