Terminator Salvation director McG recently revealed there is an unreleased, darker cut of the film that he believes fans would like to see. The original release of Terminator Salvation in 2009 was unfortunately seen as a disappointment by the fanbase and earned negative reviews from critics, despite featuring stars like Christian Bale as John Connor and Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese. Terminator: Salvation was also the first PG-13 film in the franchise, and had a different look and feel compared to other Terminator movies.
Though creators aimed to rejuvenate the Terminator franchise and kick off a new trilogy with Salvation, the film eventually became one of the lowest rated Terminator movie ever. It seems now that even producer and original Terminator director James Cameron could not revive the franchise from its negative reception, but some are still holding out hope for the series.
Recently, Terminator Salvation director McG told CBR that he believes the film has aged better with time, and that he has a darker, unreleased cut that fans may love to see. He also described that the fanbase’s disappointed reaction to the film broke his heart, and actually believes that he did many things right with the movie. Read a quote from McG below.
"It's interesting because I feel like we did so much right with Terminator but, ultimately, got just enough wrong that we got beat up a little bit by the fanbase and it really, really broke my heart. And now, strangely, I think the film has started to age better. And there is a different cut: I have my own cut of that film and there's people online that talk about wanting to see that cut. And that's interesting! But I think I got a lot of things right with that. Obviously, I think [uncredited screenwriter] Jonah Nolan is a very, very serious writer and he did the best he could. And Christian [Bale] is maybe the most talented actor working today and Sam [Worthington] did a really good job also. I think I got to take the punch on that one for not quite nailing the landing on the final expression of that movie and, who knows, maybe the cut that I have of that movie hidden away is the answer. It's darker! [Laughs] I don't know, that's for the fans to say."
It's been a long, tumultuous journey for the Terminator films, and perhaps a darker cut of Salvation may be the key to kick starting the future of the franchise. It’s been over a decade since the release of Salvation, and fans have been given some time to reflect on the movie and a new cut of the film could offer them a fresh perspective. An edited version of the movie can also better satisfy some of its actors, including Terry Crews, whose entire role in the film was cut out of the 2009 version except for a shot of his character’s corpse.
Nevertheless, McG’s hopes for a director’s cut of Terminator: Salvation to rejuvenate the series may be wishful thinking. After three harshly reviewed movies and controversial incidents on set with its actors, it would be hard to return Terminator to its former glory. There are currently no plans for a new sequel or reboot, but perhaps the franchise’s future can take on a different venue, possibly on the small screen. If McG’s cut of Salvation captures the original films’ themes of humanity’s struggle with its oncoming doom and the dangers of technology, then maybe the Terminator films can find success amongst modern audiences after all.
Source: CBR