Terminator Salvation director wants to release a “darker” version of the movie

Terminator Salvation director McG hopes the success of the #ReleasetheSynderCut campaign helps him release his own director’s cut.

Remember Terminator Salvation, the fourth Terminator movie? Nope, me neither. Of course, you’ll probably remember Christian Bale. You might sort of remember Sam Worthington. And if you’ve heard that audio clip of Bale yelling at people on set, you’ll definitely remember DP Shane Hurlbut. But you might not really remember the actual film.

No bother, though, because director McG is — if he gets his way — going to force you to revisit this forgettable franchise installment whether you like it or not. Inspired by HBO Max’s announcement that they’ll be releasing the Snyder Cut, Zack Snyder’s long-anticipated cut of 2018’s Justice League in 2021, McG has revealed his own preferred version of Salvation.

“It’s interesting because I feel like we did so much right with Terminator but, ultimately, got just enough wrong that we got beat up a little bit by the fanbase and it really, really broke my heart,” McG told CBR. “And now, strangely, I think the film has started to age better.”

"And there is a different cut: I have my own cut of that film and there’s people online that talk about wanting to see that cut. And that’s interesting! But I think I got a lot of things right with that."

Despite a tepid critical response, Terminator Salvation was still raked in $371 million at the global box office, from a $200 million budget. Still, it didn’t spark a revival for the franchise, although there have been a few Terminator movies since then, none of which have set the world on fire.

“Obviously, I think [uncredited screenwriter] Jonah Nolan is very, very serious writer and he did the best he could,” McG added, being careful not to blame anyone in particular for the movie’s lackluster response. “And Christian [Bale] is maybe the most talented actor working today and Sam [Worthington] did a really good job also.”

"I think I got to take the punch on that one for not quite nailing the landing on the final expression of that movie and, who knows, maybe the cut that I have of that movie hidden away is the answer. It’s darker! [Laughs] I don’t know, that’s for the fans to say."

To be fair, McG has been talking about an alternate ending to the Salvation pretty much since its release, involving death, disguise and a Skynet victory, so darker sounds about right. The difference is that, in a post-Snyder Cut world, it might actually happen.

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