Abandoned ‘Terminator Genisys’ Sequel Plot Focused On Cyborg John Connor
RememberTerminator Genisys? TheTerminatorsequel no one liked? Well, there were originally plans for a direct sequel to that 2015 film – plans that have since been abandoned. Those plans involved a story focused on the cyborg version of John Connor (Jason Clarke). Keep reading to hear all about the abandonedTerminator Genisyssequel.
TheTerminatorfranchise will return, again, with anew filmfromDeadpooldirectorTim Miller, produced by originalTerminatorcreatorJames Cameron. Perhaps Cameron can help restore some dignity to his creation, because it’s been touch and go for a while there. The series was never able to return to the heights of the first film and its sequelTerminator 2: Judgement Day. One mediocre sequel after enough was churned out, culminating with 2015’s truly stupidTerminator Genisys.Genisystried to be both a direct sequel and a soft reboot for the series, and it didn’t go so well, even with the addition ofArnold Schwarzenegger. Audiences didn’t take to the film – but if they had, we would’ve been treated to a directTerminator Genisyssequel.
Speaking withCollider,Genisys’s John Connor, Jason Clarke, revealed what that direct sequel would’ve been about:
“[T]hey had an idea. What I remember was that second one was going to be about John’s journey after he was taken by Skynet…like going down to what he became; half machine, half man. That’s where the second one was going to start, and that’s about all I knew.”
One ofGenisys’s big “twists” involved the reveal that John Connor – the future resistance leader who set the whole franchise in motion – turned out to be a cyborg. The film treats this moment as a huge, shocking reveal, but here’s the thing: everyTerminator Genisystrailer gave this twist away, robbing it of any power it might have had. They even made a poster giving it away!
Anyway, none of that matters now, because the franchise is continuing onward as ifGenisysnever happened.
TheTerminatorfranchise is an odd beast. There’s not really much story left to tell – everything was nicely wrapped-up inTerminator 2.And whileTerminator 3: Rise of the Machineshad a few entertaining moments, the sequels that followed –Terminator: SalvationandGenisys– were both kind of terrible.
The fact that James Cameron is returning to “godfather” the next film, and the fact that originalTerminatorstars Arnold Schwarzenegger andLinda Hamiltonare returning with him, gives me a modicum of hope the newTerminatorsequel might turn out well. But I won’t hold my breath. At the very least, I can take comfort in the fact that the storyline started inGenisysis now dead.
