This post was originally published on here
After Terminator Zero was canceled after one season, Mattson Tomlin wants to revisit the franchise for a Terminator horror movie. The co-writer of The Batman 2 shared that if he ever got the chance to return to the world of killer machines, he would take it in a very different direction.
Mattson Tomlin on how he’d return to Terminator after anime cancellation
Tomlin announced on X (formerly Twitter) that his show, Terminator Zero, had been canceled. “The critical and audience reception to it was tremendous, but at the end of the day not nearly enough people watched it,” he wrote. “I would’ve loved to deliver on the Future War I had planned in seasons 2 and 3, but I’m also very happy with how it feels contained as is.”
The show is set after Terminator 2: Judgment Day. It followed two timelines — a war-torn 2022 and 1997, the year Skynet became self-aware. Despite earning 87% from critics and 79% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, viewership ultimately fell short.
While explaining the cancellation, Tomlin also revealed what his return to Terminator would look like. He also responded to a fan who hoped he would revisit the universe someday. Tomlin wrote, “If I had my say (which I obviously don’t, screen rant let’s not even get started) my return to the Terminator universe would be with a live action, lower budget full-fledged horror movie.”
The concept would be a major change from the big-budget action spectacles the franchise is known for. This allows it to potentially return to the lean, tense thriller elements that made the original 1984 film so effective.
Tomlin added that he had written all of Season 2 and outlined much of Season 3. “Maybe someday I’ll do a big thread about the plans I had for the full five season run,” he said. For now, fans hoping for a Terminator Horror Movie will have to wait.
