You’d be hard-pressed to find an ‘80s kid who wasn’t wholeheartedly obsessed with The Terminator. In fact, it’s fair to assume that most children back in the decade dressed up as Arnold Schwarzenegger for Halloween every single year. But unlike other working actors that lurk around a franchise for far too long, Schwarzenegger had the wherewithal to know when it was time to hang up the leather boots and call it a day.
While chatting with The Hollywood Reporter, the infamous action star was asked whether the explosive Terminator franchise is actually done, and if the wheels have stopped turning on that train. Without skipping a beat, the 75-year-old performer certainly didn’t sugarcoat his thoughts, insisting that his time in the insanely popular franchise has likely passed. Schwarzenegger said:
“The franchise is not done. 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. 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. 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.”
Without a doubt, it feels hard to imagine never seeing him return to wearing the unforgettable Terminator ensemble. Then again, when you consider the fact that Schwarzenegger is well into his ‘70s, the thought of asking him to return to a franchise that is consistently action-packed seems incredibly unfair.
For lifelong Terminator fans that are still as heavily invested, the franchise continuing nonetheless is surely a positive sign that will likely have moviegoers heading to the theaters in droves in the same vein as Top Gun: Maverick. But the main question now begs when exactly we’ll be getting a new Terminator film.
