Although The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day rank among the best sci-fi movies of all time, the later movies in this franchise were met with mixed or outright negative critical reactions. 2019’s Terminator: Dark Fate, which was a direct sequel to the first two movies, arguably fared the best among this group, though whatever positive reception it received was outweighed by how poorly it performed at the box office. But even before Dark Fate came out, I learned from co-writer David S. Goyer that he already had an inkling the movie “might be in trouble.” Strangely enough, a pinball machine helped him realize this.
My recent conversation with the Man of Steel writer was wide-ranging, covering topics like The Sandman Season 2 finale’s big twists, his thoughts about James Gunn’s Superman, and how he expects Murderbot Season 2 will adapt the next books in the series. Before the interview was over, though, I had to ask him having written an early draft of Terminator: Dark Fate, specifically if there were any elements from his version that he wished had been kept in the movie. After Goyer told me most of what he’d written made it into the final product, he shared the following while reflecting on his time attached to the last Terminator movie:
