Terminator Zero Director Explains the Franchise’s Approach to Technology

Terminator Zero, a new anime show from Netflix, is putting a fresh spin on James Cameron’s iconic sci-fi franchise. Moving the series away from the Connor family and out of the U.S., Terminator Zero is set in Japan in 1997 on the cusp of Judgment Day (August 29). Cameron’s seminal Terminator turns 40 years old this year (released in 1984) and, despite some underwhelming entries in the franchise, the over-arching narrative of man vs machine feels even more relevant today than ever.

MovieWeb spoke to Terminator Zero’s director, Masashi Kudō, about his work on the new show, and the anime veteran explained why Terminator’s concept is so timeless. Kudō explained that Terminator is more than just an exploration of man vs machine, it’s about how humanity reacts to and embraces or fights new technology. In the age of AI, many believe that Terminator’s story, about an AI becoming self-aware and bringing about nuclear war on the human race, feels less like science fiction and more like a warning. Masashi Kudō explained:

“The theme is human versus machines, but at the same time, it’s really about how [humanity] deals with new technology, whether it’s nuclear… how humans adapt new technology into weapons.
How new technology is born every day, how humans approach and use these new technologies, is kind of, I feel, the running theme of the franchise
.”

Masashi Kudō Reveals if James Cameron Has Seen Terminator: Zero

Terminator Zero isn’t the only new addition to James Cameron’s seminal sci-fi franchise. Earlier this month, Cameron revealed he’s working on a new “secret” Terminator project. While discussing Terminator Zero, Cameron revealed that he hasn’t been closely involved with the new anime (with the series being overseen by showrunner Mattson Tomlin), but is “curious to see what they’ve come up with.”

During our discussion, Masashi Kudō revealed that he wasn’t able to meet James Cameron during production on the show, highlighting that Cameron took a hands-off approach to the new spin-off. Most surprisingly, Kudō revealed that James Cameron hasn’t seen the new anime yet. He said:

No I haven’t. I would love for him to watch it soon.

For Masashi Kudō, working on Terminator Zero was a dream come true. Best known for his work on the long-running anime Bleach, Kudō revealed he’s a long-time fan of the Terminator franchise, even enjoying the series’ less popular entries. Kudō shared his history with the Terminator movies, saying:

“So my first exposure to
Terminator
, I especially loved the first one [
Terminator
] and the second one [
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
], the first two films. I watched it with excitement when it came out. And even the franchise from three [
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
] onwards. I loved it. So I’m a huge fan of the franchise.”

Created and written by Mattson Tomlin, with all eight episodes directed by Masashi Kudō, Terminator Zero follows Malcolm Lee (Andre Holland), a scientist living in Japan with visions of Judgment Day. Whilst working on his own AI system, Kokoro (Rosario Dawson), Malcolm meets Eiko (Sonoya Mizuno), a soldier sent from the future to prevent Skynet’s T-800 (Timothy Olyphant) from murdering him and bringing about a nuclear apocalypse. The new anime premieres on August 29 on Netflix. You can watch it through the link below and check out the trailer as well:

Watch Terminator Zero

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