In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, James Cameron hinted that he has ideas for "Terminator": "When the dust of Avatar settles, I will devote myself to this project." He believes that the biggest problem is how to tell a story that is advanced enough (at a time when AI technology is changing rapidly): "There are many narrative problems to be solved, and the biggest problem is how to be ahead of the times to make it sci-fi enough."
When a reporter asked if he had figured out the theme setting, Cameron said he was working on it and showed a sly smile, showing that he had an idea.
At the same time, he confirmed that Arnold will not participate, making this the first "Terminator" movie in film history without Schwarzenegger. "I can say with certainty that Arnold will not star. It is time to launch a new generation of Terminators. I asked Arnold to star in (2019's) "Terminator: Dark Fate", just for the perfect ending for T800. Next, I will expand the Terminator universe, reinterpret the concepts of time travel and super intelligence, and I will do something that people unexpected."
"The current AI generation tools are of little use to my industry. Their target users are the general public. I am ready to go and find out for myself. My works are inseparable from VFX, which are the kind of works that require imagination to make. They are either ahead of the times or beyond time and space. Those movies that can be shot with only exteriors or sets are not attractive to me."
AI rebellion and nuclear holocaust are themes that the director has used repeatedly. By "Avatar" he began to advocate environmental protection. However, the current US government has made great strides backwards on environmental issues. Does this mean that works such as "Avatar" have not had a positive impact?
"I'm not disappointed that Avatar doesn't work. Trump is the most narcissistic bastard since Nero, and yes, that's what I said. What disappoints me is that people have unrealistic illusions about the future and we are repeating the same mistakes. Who knows if we would have gone back to the old ways faster without Avatar? There is no parallel world where Avatar does not exist for comparison. We only know that Avatar is on the right side of history."
The rough cut of "Avatar 3" was nearly four hours long, but was shortened to three hours and fifteen minutes. Cameron admitted that Disney is not satisfied with the length of the film. There are always people who want the film to be shorter (to facilitate scheduling). He disagrees with this: "Decades ago, some people said that the more screenings every day, the more money you can make. But as long as the audience buys it, you can still make money. "Titanic" is proof, it is the same length as Avatar 3."
Cameron pondered for a moment, then added that he wasn't asserting that Avatar 3 would do as well at the box office as Big Ship.
The success or failure of "Avatar 3" will not be known until January next year. If it succeeds, it will lead to 4 and 5. If it fails, it will stop thinking about it, and Cameron will leave to work on other projects. For example, "The Terminator" and "The Ghosts of Hiroshima" about atomic bomb survivors. He bought the copyright of the original work but has yet to start production.
"The thing you should do the most is the thing you're most afraid of," Cameron said. He admired Noah Hawley's "Alien: Earth" but was not interested in serving fans. "No one should stay in their comfort zone to create."
Cameron is unwilling to reveal what his next project will be. Apart from the well-known Billie Concert and the documentary produced by Universal Pictures, he is unwilling to reveal more ideas. When the reporter tried to get involved in projects other than "Avatar 3", Cameron snapped: "I just want to talk about Avatar, otherwise I will end the call. Avatar 2 and 3 took me ten years, why should I talk about other things? Isn't that stupid?"
The reporter explained that he wanted to write more comprehensively, and Cameron immediately responded: "You mean character profiles? I hate damn profiles."
Cameron may be the toughest director in the history of film. He has experienced the most difficult filming, said the most hurtful words (swearing at the crew, "it would be a mercy to fire you"), and annoyed many people when filming the big ship - the guy in charge of catering on the crew sprinkled a big bag of LSD into the chowder, causing a group of people to go insane; one crew member even stabbed Cameron in the face with a pen.
But the journalist’s favorite story is the rat in “The Abyss” – a rat that was used to test oxygen levels and unfortunately drowned. Seeing that the mouse was about to die and the film would lose its "animal harm" certification, Cameron actually performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the mouse, and it miraculously came back to life, and was later adopted as a pet by Cameron.
"I saved its life. We are brothers and sisters. When I wrote the script for "Terminator 2," he stayed with me," Cameron said.
The emotional side of Cameron's character is reflected in the lines of the script. Some dialogues are often criticized as being disgusting, but they are actually sincere. Cameron claims that he "cannot write glib dialogue", and the characters he writes are often so sincere that they appear silly, making the public laugh at them. If anyone is confused about this, you can watch "Avatar 3" to see if the 71-year-old man who insists on a vegan diet is already young.
"I do boxing training two to three times a week to stay active. Look at my peers, they live one day at a time, but I still have a lot to do and more ideas than I have enough time in this life. The way I eat now is what people must follow fifty years from now, otherwise humans will not survive."