Terminator 7 can’t go back on a promise Arnold Schwarzenegger has made about the franchise’s future. The Alien and Terminator franchises have a similar, James Cameron-shaped problem. The writer/director hit the ball so far out of the park with the second entries in both sagas that future filmmakers found it nearly impossible to match them. The Terminator movies, in particular, have floundered since the second film; the third outing was a big hit but far too goofy for its own good, while the most recent outing Dark Fate was a box-office bomb.
It’s hard to know what the future of the series even is now. Plans for a Dark Fate sequel were abandoned almost immediately, and outside of an upcoming anime show on Netflix, there are no solid plans for a potential Terminator 7. One thing both Genisys and Dark Fate made clear is the franchise’s classic formula and its convoluted time-travel mythology needs to be completely reworked.
Terminator 7 Shouldn’t Bring Back Arnold Schwarzenegger Again
In a 2023 conversation with Indiewire, Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed he wouldn’t return for another Terminator movie. While the headlines gags about “He won’t be back” might have been obvious, the star stated that the lukewarm response to his final two entries made it clear audiences wanted to “move on” from his era, and the series needed to reinvent itself. As Arnie stated “The franchise is not done. I’m done,” and if Terminator is to have a future on the big screen, it needs to make a clean break.
Schwarzenegger was far from the biggest issue with the most recent installments, but the Terminator franchise was leaning too hard on nostalgia by bringing the T-800 back again and again. Arnold himself knows it’s time for the series to evolve and move beyond the past, which is why he’s ruling out another return as his most iconic character. Of course, that raises the complicated question of exactly what the next entry will be about.
Why Arnold Schwarzenegger Not Returning For Terminator 7 Would Be Good
Over the course of his five appearances, the Terminator movies have explored every possible arc they can with Arnie’s T-800. He’s been a villain, he’s been a hero, he’s fought himself, he’s actually succeeded in killing John Connor, etc. Not bringing Arnie back signals to viewers that the property is finally charting a fresh course. James Cameron has said he’s developing a Terminator 7 script focused on A.I., and while time will tell if that actually happens, it’s an inherently more intriguing notion than another legacy sequel. A clean slate is just what the next film needs.
