Justin Lin talks Terminator, says he’s met with Arnold and Cameron

By Eric Walkuski

Posted 15 years ago

Last Updated on July 23, 2021

It was earlier this morning when we received the not-terrible news that Justin Lin (FAST FIVE) has vacated the HIGHLANDER director’s chair; the move was mostly because his dance card is so filled up at the moment. One of those projects is the TERMINATOR reboot, which Lin spoke to The Playlist about.

“‘Terminator’ is something I’ve been having a lot of fun with. Just even this week, I had a great meeting with Arnold and James Cameron, just sitting down unofficially. And James is so gracious because he’s not part of the project, he’s not going to be producing, but it was great of him just as a filmmaker to take time out to just talk.”

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I’ll give him this: He seems very level-headed and humble. For a guy on the rise like Lin is, it must be a gigantic thrill to be in the same room with heavyweights like that and you’d understand if it inflated your ego tenfold. (Not that his ego needs a big boost; FAST FIVE has grossed $604 million worldwide to date.)

Lin went on to say that he’s not entirely sure when the TERMINATOR will move forward, but he’s grateful for the chance to be at the helm.

“I don’t know where it’s going to lead, but I never thought at this level I’m going to be able to meet filmmakers and be in situations where they’re that gracious and insightful and so inclusive… And that’s a franchise that I’m working on right now, but again, if I’m going to be kind of the gatekeeper to it, I want to make sure that I can hopefully build it up the right way – and so far that’s been the most fun. Just to be able to take James Cameron’s brain and for him to be so open even though he has no stakes in it, just as a human being, that’s something that I will always remember as a part of my journey as a filmmaker.”

For the full interview, which includes the revelation that Lin apparently turned down the chance to direct DIE HARD 5, head on over to The Playlist.

Source: The Playlist

About the Author

Eric Walkuski

Film Critic

10,340 Articles Published

Favorite Movies: Jaws, Star Wars Trilogy, Aliens, Citizen Kane, The Third Man, Dawn read more of the Dead ('78), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre ('74), Fargo, Miller's Crossing, Reservoir Dogs, The Manchurian Candidate ('62), Taxi Driver, Back to the Future, Stand by Me, Shaun of the Dead, Boogie Nights, La Dolce Vita, 12 Angry Men, The Birds, Touch of Evil

Likes: Film, Beer (who the hell DOESN'T around here?!), writing, NY Mets, read more The Jets, Girls who love film AND beer (at the same time), Jazz, Deadwood, The Wire, The Office, The Twilight Zone, Cormac McCarthy, Graham Greene, Stephen King, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Scorsese, Spielberg, Halloween season, Marvel movies, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, Ash vs Evil Dead, Game of Thrones, Edgar Allen Poe, Mother Nature

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