Arnold Schwarzenegger Is ‘Done’ with ‘Terminator’ Franchise After ‘Dark Fate’ Flop: ‘Not Well-Written’

Samantha Bergeson
·4 min read
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Arnold Schwarzenegger won’t be back to the “Terminator” franchise.

The iconic actor confirmed that he is “done” with the “Terminator” films after last starring in 2019’s “Terminator: Dark Fate.” Schwarzenegger has appeared in six of the franchise films.

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“The franchise is not done. I’m done,” Schwarzenegger told The Hollywood Reporter. “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.”

He continued, “‘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.”

“Terminator: Dark Fate” marked original actress Linda Hamilton’s return to the franchise. The film bombed at the box office with only $261 million internationally grossed on a $185 million budget.

Schwarzenegger reflected on his signature catchphrase “I’ll be back,” calling it “an accident” during the first “Terminator” production, helmed by James Cameron.

“Jim Cameron and I were debating how to say the line because I was not comfortable with saying ‘I’ll.’ I said, ‘I think it’s stronger to say, ‘I will be back,'” Schwarzenegger remembered. “Cameron said, ‘Are you the scriptwriter now? It’s just one word. Don’t tell me how to write. I don’t tell you how to act.’ I said, ‘You tell me how to act every fucking minute! What are you talking about?!’ So he says, ‘Arnold, you think it sounds weird. It doesn’t. What makes it great is that you sound different than me or Charlie over there. That’s what makes it work. So just say it 10 times. Say it different ways. I’ll keep rolling the camera. Then we’ll choose one.’ So they set it up, and I say: ‘(Flatly) I’ll be back … (cheerful) I’ll be back! … (guttural) I’ll beeee baaaack …’ It sounded stupid.”

The “Twins” actor added, “The movie comes out. I’m in Central Park. This guy comes up and says, ‘Say the line!’ Now, a few days ago, I was skiing in Aspen, and the concierge comes up asking me to say the line. So that’s where it started and where it ended up. It’s wild. I’m the last one to get complicated and say, ‘I don’t want to compare myself to my movies or use a line from my movies.’ Hell, Clint Eastwood takes the clothes from his movies and that’s all he wears. So why would I be worried about using a line?”

Schwarzenegger noted he and director Cameron are still “in touch” and the “FUBAR” actor remains inspired by the filmmaker.

“We went motorcycle riding when he was out here for the Golden Globes. I’ve never met anybody in the movie business who has so many different talents,” he said. “I saw that right away on ‘The Terminator’; he always knew exactly what he wanted. He never said, ‘Let’s try this,’ it was always, ‘Let’s do this’ — without any doubt.”

Fellow ’80s action icon Sigourney Weaver recently announced that she is done with the “Alien” franchise, which Cameron also helmed one installment of, sequel “Aliens.”

“There are all kinds of younger actors taking this kind of role,” Weaver said of the franchise continuing without her, adding that working with Cameron was the best “Alien” film.

“The best-constructed story for the character to tell was in ‘Aliens,’ just because Jim [Cameron] has such an amazing sense of structure of story,” Weaver said. “To take this character out of hyper-sleep, have no one believe her, have her be exiled into this limbo land where no one believes her and her family’s dead. The whole set-up for Ripley in ‘Aliens’ and then what she ends up doing and… finding this new family by the end. The whole structure of that story, to me, was gold. I always felt that I could jump up and down on it. It was such a great, supportive, arc for the character. In that sense, the second one for Ripley is probably the most satisfying.”

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