'I Can Safely Say He Won't Be in It' — James Cameron Confirms Arnold Schwarzenegger's Time as The Terminator Is Officially Over as He Plots New Movie

James Cameron has said Arnold Schwarzenegger’s clip arsenic the iconic Terminator is officially over. He alternatively wants a caller procreation of characters for the adjacent movie successful the franchise.

The 78-year-old Schwarzenegger is the lone histrion to person appeared successful each six Terminator films, though helium lone made it into 2009’s Terminator Salvation via a CGI rendering of his look (perhaps due to the fact that of this, Schwarzenegger considers Salvation to beryllium the worst movie successful the franchise).

Here are each the Terminator films released truthful far:

• The Terminator October 26, 1984
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day July 3, 1991
• Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines July 2, 2003
• Terminator Salvation May 21, 2009
• Terminator Genisys July 1, 2015
• Terminator: Dark Fate November 1, 2019

Terminator has for immoderate clip present been languishing successful the doldrums, contempt akin 80s and 90s sci-fi franchises specified arsenic Alien and Predator enjoying a resurgence. The past movie Cameron directed successful the franchise was Terminator 2: Judgment Day. He had nary engagement with the 3 sequels that followed but returned arsenic a shaper connected Terminator: Dark Fate — a movie helium said helium was "reasonably happy" with, though helium suggested it mightiness person worked amended without the archetypal stars.

In 2022, Cameron said different Terminator reboot was "in discussion," but thing was acceptable successful stone, and we’ve heard thing since. He said astatine the time: "If I were to bash different Terminator movie and possibly effort to motorboat that franchise again, which is successful discussion, but thing has been decided, I would marque it overmuch much astir the AI broadside of it than atrocious robots gone crazy."

Now, connected the eve of Avatar: Fire and Ash’s motorboat successful theaters, Cameron has issued his strongest remark yet that a caller Terminator movie volition yet get disconnected the ground. In an interrogation with The Hollywood Reporter, Cameron said that aft Avatar settles down successful a fewer months, he’s going to crook his attraction to Terminator.

“Once the particulate clears connected Avatar successful a mates of months, I’m going to truly plunge into that,” helium said. “There are a batch of communicative problems to solve. The biggest is however bash I enactment capable up of what’s truly happening to marque it subject fiction?”

THR suggested Cameron has so solved this communicative problem, though helium did not accidental how. What helium did say, however, is that Arnold Schwarzenegger volition not beryllium successful this caller Terminator movie.

“I tin safely accidental helium won’t beryllium [in it],” Cameron confirmed. “It’s clip for a caller procreation of characters. I insisted Arnold had to beryllium progressive successful Terminator: Dark Fate, and it was a large decorativeness to him playing the T-800. There needs to beryllium a broader mentation of Terminator and the thought of a clip warfare and ace intelligence. I privation to bash caller worldly that radical aren’t imagining.”

That's that, then, for Arnie arsenic the Terminator, adjacent successful CGI oregon AI-powered de-aged form. The 72-year-old Cameron is keeping his cards adjacent to his chest, but it does so dependable similar helium wants Terminator to permission the past down and present thing genuinely new. He besides insisted helium won’t bash fan-friendly callbacks, arsenic TV amusement Alien: Earth has done. “I’m not criticizing it, but I was determination for Aliens, what, 41 years ago?” helium said. “Something similar that wouldn’t beryllium of involvement to me.”

“The things that scare you the astir are precisely the things you should beryllium doing,” Cameron added. “Nobody should beryllium operating artistically from a comfortableness zone.”

The question of however a caller Terminator task mightiness acceptable into Cameron’s well-documented hopes for much Avatar movies is an absorbing one. Cameron precocious admitted helium was “absolutely” acceptable to locomotion distant from Avatar if Fire and Ash flops, which would mean Avatar 4 and 5, which person merchandise dates, wouldn’t get made.

“I’ve been successful Avatar onshore for 20 years,” helium said. “Actually 30 years due to the fact that I wrote it successful ‘95, but I wasn’t moving continuously connected it for those archetypal 10 years. Yeah, absolutely, sure. If this is wherever it ends, cool.”

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].