Movies
Say Hasta La Vista to the ‘Terminator’ Franchise?
I think the report below is a bit hyperbolic, but according to NY Daily News, Paramount Pictures has killed The Terminator.
The site explains that Paramount execs have decided not to pick up their option to bring Arnold Schwarzenegger and “Game of Thrones’” Emilia Clarke back for additional movies in the series.
The move comes in spite of the fact that the fifth Terminator movie — 2015’s widely panned Terminator Genisys — raked in almost $300 million in profits.
“It is over for ‘The Terminator’ and Arnold,” said their Los Angeles-based source. “The studio has taken the sequel off the production slate completely, meaning there is no preproduction or any plans for another sequel. The talent had been offered long term deals, but this is not happening.
“The ‘Genisys’ movie was seen as a way of reviving (the franchise), but the critics were not happy and somehow the studio bosses fell out of love with making more, even though they made huge profits,” we’re told.
The reason this feels like hyperbole is because Paramount is simply a distributor, and may have also been frightened off by recent reports that franchise creator James Cameron is on the cusp on regaining his rights. This would mean that Paramount would have needed the next film in production by the end of this year to avoid potential legal battles in 2019. The confidence is already low on the franchise, and with Paramount allegedly in a crisis from the top on down (Michael De Luca recently turned down top vice-chairman role), it’s unclear what direction the studio will take. With the failure of Rings and the shutting down of Friday the 13th, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes that we know nothing about.
The question remains, however, as to how Cameron could revive the franchise on his own when he’s focused on his unnecessary and long-gestured and even longer delayed Avatar sequels. Could he find an international and independent backer to get another film in the franchise financed? Sure. And with China throwing money all over Hollywood, I could even see that as an option.
It’s probably best that Paramount isn’t behind the next Terminator film because, let’s be honest, they’re all uninspired at this point. Knowing the franchise is dead is probably better than suffering through another disappointment. I’d rather wait and see what Cameron can pull off once he’s finished shooting his Avatar films.
What do you guys think? Will the Terminator be back?
Movies
‘Backrooms’ Director Kane Parsons Is No Fan of Generative AI: “Defeats the Purpose Entirely for Me”
There has been a lot of talk recently about filmmakers embracing generative AI as part of the filmmaking process, from Darren Aronofsky to Martin Scorsese. But what about filmmakers that are against the use of Gen AI for creative pursuits? You can count 20-year-old Backrooms director Kane Parsons among that group, which should give you some hope for the future.
In a new chat with The Australian, the self-taught young filmmaker makes it crystal clear that he won’t be using generative AI in any of his upcoming filmmaking projects.
“I think I’m in the same boat as most well-adjusted people,” Parsons tells the outlet. “If I could snap my fingers and make generative AI disappear forever, I probably would. Creatively, I get no enjoyment from using those tools. It defeats the purpose entirely for me.”
“What interests me more is interrogating it artistically,” Parsons notes. “We already live in a world where you walk outside and there are billboards and signs that are obvious AI slop. That’s become part of our visual reality. To me, generative AI feels less like innovation than a symptom of a broader cultural and economic rot.”
He explains, “I’m interested in using that iconography in art – not using AI to make the art itself, but examining what it represents. I definitely want to explore it further in future projects.”
Kane Parsons also notes during the interview with The Australian, “… there’s so much at stake and so many genuinely harmful consequences already happening.”
Backrooms marks young prodigy Kane Parsons’ feature directorial debut, and it’s based on his own series of YouTube videos that were brought to life using Blender, the open-source 3D computer graphics software suite. So it’s no surprise that Parsons, who has hand-made his filmmaking career up to this point, isn’t buying into the hoopla around Generative AI.
His debut feature is the #1 movie in the world, so perhaps he’s onto something.
What’s next from Kane Parsons, you ask? Stay tuned…
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