The first movie audiences will think of for Arnold Schwarzenegger will be The Terminator. Unfortunately, we may have seen the last of the actor in the franchise as he recently stated that he is done with the role.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the long-time Terminator star said revealed that he isn’t returning for future projects. Schwarzenegger clarified that there will be more Terminator projects but he will not be taking part in them. The actor is making his TV series debut in Netflix’s action-comedy FUBAR.
"The franchise is not done. I’m done," Schwarzenegger said. "I got the message loud and clear that the world wants to move on with a different theme when it comes to The Terminator. Someone has to come up with a great idea. The Terminator was largely responsible for my success, so I always would look at it very fondly."
"The first three movies were great," the actor added. "Number four [Salvation] I was not in because I was governor. Then five [Genisys] and six [Dark Fate] didn’t close the deal as far as I’m concerned. We knew that ahead of time because they were just not well written."
Schwarzenegger worked with legendary director James Cameron on the first two films in the series. The actor played the role of the T-800 Terminator, sent back in time to kill a certain Sarah Connor to prevent the birth of her son John, the leader of a future Resistance army.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was the first movie that did not involve Cameron as a screenwriter or director. The film was a commercial success, earning over $400 million at the worldwide box office cementing the future of the franchise.
Schwarzenegger was not part of the fourth movie Terminator: Salvation. The film instead starred Christian Bale as an older John Connor. The T-800 in the movie used the likeness of Schwarzenegger from the 1984 film as the actor wasn’t available for filming.
The actor returned to the franchise after his stint as Governor of California in 2015’s Terminator Genisys. Emilia Clarke starred in the movie as a younger Sarah Connor. The movie didn’t do as well as expected but was the highest-grossing film in the series.
The sixth film in the series saw the return of Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton. James Cameron also returned to the franchise as a writer and producer. Terminator: Dark Fate bypassed the events of the third to fifth films as it tried to be a sequel to Terminator 2. The movie, unfortunately, didn’t perform well, losing money an estimated $122 million at the box office.
It is safe to say that the Terminator franchise will not be the same without Schwarzenegger. It would have been great if he did one more movie similar to how Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones series is ending. However, it will be farfetched when considering the performance of the last movie.
