Arnold Schwarzenegger is more than his acting career. From being an Austrian Military veteran; retiring from a successful bodybuilding career; driving his favorite tanks in his 70s, the Austrian Oak has continued to live his wildest fantasies, even at the age of 75. When it comes to movies, Schwarzenegger was the biggest box office star for a stretch in the ’80s and 90s.
Mr. Olympia, who has continued to remain humble about his mega-stardom, may have made success even with the most underrated films like The Last Action, but he credits The Terminator franchise for his success. As the actor-turned-politician expressed his desire to detach from the $2.5 billion franchise, he also feels that these movies may massively fail in his absence.
The World Wants To Move On With Different Themed-Terminator Films
In a recent interview, Arnold Schwarzenegger was asked about his thoughts on the future of the Terminator franchise. The actor declared that he heard the message loud and clear, adding that the “franchise may not be done, but he is done because the world wants to move on with a different theme” when it comes to these films. He said:
“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.”
Undeniably, the last three installments in the $.25 billion franchise: Terminator: Salvation (2009), Terminator Genisys (2015), and Terminator: Dark Fate (2019), tried to “reinvent the franchise but failed to reinvigorate it.”
Schwarzenegger feels that Salvation failed because of his absence, while the rest didn’t see box office success because of the poorly scripted storyline. The first two films, The Terminator (1984) and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) became the highest-grossing film of 1991, launching the careers of both, Schwarzenegger and writer-director, James Cameron.
Arnold Schwarzenegger may feel that the franchise may not be done, but one thing is sure, continuing the legacy with a crippled storyline, would only result in more failed Terminator movies. Also, a T-90 without the Austrian Oak sounds like an AR-18 without a 5.56×45mm NATO.
James Cameron Didn’t Align With Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Return
Terminator: Salvation’s poor decision to move on without Arnold Schwarzenegger resulted in a rather underwhelming response. From calling it repetitive, and predictable, to calling out Christian Bale’s performance, the movie was met with massive criticism. But again, the franchise failed to learn the lesson.
James Cameron made a return to the franchise with Terminator: Dark Fate, acting as an executive producer and co-writer of the story. While the film managed to bring back the very-authentic Sara Connor (Linda Hamilton), and the Austrian Oak as the iconic T-800, Cameron didn’t align with the decision, calling it a “grandads’ movie”.
Terminator Genisys, on the other hand, was simply criticized for being overly convoluted and confusing. Other actors associated with the film, for instance, Mackenzie Davis gave a logical explanation for Terminator: Dark Fate’s label of being a box-office bomb.
Referring to sequels as unnecessary, the actress revealed that “nobody saw the last three”, because the “audience’s appetite had been exhausted…six would be too much, now we know.” Gabriel Luna, Terminator: Dark Fate’s Rev-9, sided with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and expressed that he “wouldn’t trade it for a billion-dollar film” despite its massive failure.
Schwarzenegger’s classic, The Terminator (1984) can be rented or purchased on Vudu.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
