Ever since Terminator 2: Judgment Day, each and every Terminator sequel has attempted to cash in on the success of James Cameron‘s famed duology. Whether the narrative follows an older John Connor, an aged Sarah Connor, or rebooted versions of the characters, most sequels utilize Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s T-800 in a heroic role, à la T2. While Schwarzenegger is undoubtedly the face of The Terminator brand due to it putting him on the map, the truth is that there have been successful franchise outings without him. This leads us to the sad but necessary truth that, if Cameron’s upcoming seventh Terminator installment is to succeed, it needs to do so without its main star.
James Cameron Needs to Give ‘The Terminator’ Franchise New Life
As vital as Arnold Schwarzenegger was to the success of the Terminator franchise initially, our post-T2 world has proven that he doesn’t have to be the central focus to tell a great story in this world. Netflix’s recent Terminator Zero anime series worked just as well without Arnold’s involvement, as did the short-lived Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which many believe to be the best continuation following Cameron’s first two films (this author included). While we know hardly anything yet about James Cameron’s plans for the next Terminator movie, we do know that he hopes to explore modern advances in artificial intelligence, tying the narrative into our very real-world conversations about the place of AI in society. We can’t think of a better franchise suited for the task. Whether this next film is to be another sequel following the original films, a follow-up to the poorly received Terminator: Dark Fate, or another franchise reboot is at this point unclear, though we can only hope that this means a new sort of Terminator in the future.
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However the story comes together, the Terminator franchise ought to think beyond Arnold Schwarzenegger’s iconic T-800 if it wants to survive. The last time the series attempted this on the big screen was with Terminator Salvation, which dove into the post-apocalyptic hellscape that is the post-Judgment Day world. Frankly, there was a lot about Salvation that worked well, and it’s arguably the best of the last three sequelboots, with a strong cast and an interesting premise that could have led to more. Sure, Schwarzenegger’s likeness was used in the final battle between Christian Bale‘s John Connor and the T-800, calling back to the original 1984 film, but that made sense. After all, Schwarzenegger was serving as the Governor of California at the time and was not involved in the actual film itself. Something like this may serve the Terminator franchise well going forward, teetering the line between honoring the history of the film series and letting go of its main focal point for something new. Even the actor himself thinks it’s a good idea for him to step away from the T-800…
Arnold Schwarzenegger Is Done Playing the Terminator
Indeed, the actor himself has noted that, after the failure to reboot the series with Terminator Genisys and the colossal misfire that was Dark Fate, he, too, is over the franchise. “The [Terminator] franchise is not done,” Schwarzenegger assured The Hollywood Reporter in 2023. “I’m done. I got the message loud and clear that the world wants to move on with a different theme when it comes to The Terminator.” He’s absolutely right. Frankly, replaying the franchise’s greatest hits by attempting to remake Terminator 2 over and over again, with Schwarzenegger once again playing a heroic cyborg, is tiring at this point. This is the exact reason that many have called for the franchise to return to its horror roots and re-frame the series as a sci-fi slasher, per the original. Whether this is Cameron’s plan remains to be seen, but it’s clear that even the T-800 himself wants to terminate his role in the series going forward — and Linda Hamilton feels the same way.
Earlier, we mentioned both Terminator Zero and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles as successful attempts to pivot from the main film series in creative and interesting ways. Indeed, while each of them still rely on the events of the original premise — namely Skynet and the Resistance sending back soldiers to the past to ensure their survival — what makes each of them work so well is that they weren’t afraid to try new things. Zero sets the narrative in ’90s Japan, centering on an entirely new cast of characters with twists and turns the audience didn’t expect. The Sarah Connor Chronicles took familiar characters and brought them forward in time to a modern setting, fighting Skynet through new means and with new allies. Terminator is still a fascinating concept (maybe even more so now than ever), and one that could easily be expanded on in future movie installments. There is no shortage of ways to make this story work, but from now on, it needs to do so without Arnold Schwarzenegger at the forefront. This time, he shouldn’t be back.
The Terminator
- Release Date
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October 26, 1984
- Runtime
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107 Minutes
- Director
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James Cameron
- Writers
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James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd, William Wisher
