He's back. Well, sort of.
James Cameron is reportedly returning to the Terminator franchise after stepping back from the Hollywood blockbuster that catapulted both himself and Arnold Schwarzenegger into the spotlight.
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Cameron hasn't been directly involved in the time-travelling, post-apocalyptic universe he brought to life since directing Terminator 2 in the early '90s.
Since then, there's been another three Terminator films and even a TV spin-off. None of these have been considered a massive success, though.
![Director James Cameron is reportedly returning to the <i>Terminator</i> franchise.](/web/20170124094410im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/w/n/o/3/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtwl4z.png/1485167385309.jpg)
But the franchise's fortunes could be about to change, with Deadline reporting that Cameron is in early talks with Deadpool director Tim Miller to direct a possible sixth film.
If it goes ahead, this means Cameron will be "godfathering" the project instead of sitting in the director's chair.
It's unclear at this stage whether the talks relate to just a sixth film to conclude the franchise, an entire reboot, or both.
Whatever happens, there's no denying the curious timing. After all, Cameron regains certain rights to The Terminator in 2019.
![Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator in <i>Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines</i>.](/web/20170124094410im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/7/k/3/w/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtwl4z.png/1485167385309.jpg)
Usually, rights-holders simply have to ensure their claim to a film remains 'alive' in order to ensure the rights don't return to the original owners (hence why there are so many Spider Man films).
But it appears Cameron managed to strike a specific deal when he stepped away from the Terminator franchise that saw the rights revert to him after a set period of time.
![The <i>Terminator</i> franchise has spawned five films and even a TV series.](/web/20170124094410im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/7/k/4/b/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtwl4z.png/1485167385309.jpg)
If this new project goes ahead and is a commercial success - think of Titanic or Avatar - then Cameron is about to get a whole lot richer. And that's not even considering potential game spin-offs and other merchandise.
But devoting time and energy to a new sci-fi project would be a momentous task, given Cameron is currently working on shooting not one but four Avatar sequels, tentatively scheduled for release through till 2023.
One only needs to look at George Lucas's Star Wars prequels to see how revisiting an old favourite could all go wrong.
Surely this time the new terminator movie will be good right? pic.twitter.com/xvy9VX6qXo
— Callys Caves 3 (@CallysCaves) January 22, 2017
if there is going to be a new #Terminator film it should better be @Terminator Genisys sequel and please dont reboot pls pls
— Kiran (@imKiranDuvvuri) January 22, 2017
James Cameron and Tim Miller working on a new Terminator film seems like something from a weird drug induced dream
— Leigh A. Jones (@whee_leigh) January 21, 2017