James Cameron Reveals the Latest ‘Terminator’ Sequel’s Working Title

It’s been a long time since the last worthwhile “Terminator” movie (28 years, to be precise) but hope springs eternal. Especially for James Cameron, who’s producing the latest installment of the sci-fi franchise he birthed more than 30 years ago — his first direct involvement with the series since he directed 1991’s “Terminator: Judgment Day.” In a Yahoo Entertainment interview on February 8, Cameron revealed a salient detail about the upcoming sequel: “We’re calling it ‘Terminator: Dark Fate,’” he said. “That’s our working title right now.”

Tim Miller (“Deadpool”) is directing the film, which erases “Rise of the Machines,” “Salvation,” and “Genisys” from the timeline and serves as a direct sequel to “Judgment Day.” “Tim’s a very willful and opinionated director, and he’s got his own ideas for the film. I’m kind of like the Pips — he’s Gladys,” Cameron said of his collaborator.

As for the big picture, the filmmaker — who also produced the upcoming Robert Rodriguez film “Alita: Battle Angel” and is hard at work on four “Avatar” sequels” — explained, “I tend to be optimistic about people and our capacity to solve problems,” the director tells Yahoo Entertainment. “When I think of us as empathic beings, I think we’re going to get through this OK. When I see how people lose their empathy when they get into positions of power, then I lose that hope.”

Speaking of titles, Cameron’s next four projects have them as well: “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “Avatar: The Seed Bearer,” “Avatar: The Tulkun Rider,” and “Avatar: The Quest for Eywa.” Still no word on exactly when those films will actually see the light of day, however.