Arnold Schwarzenegger says new Terminator will simplify the franchise

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Although the TERMINATOR franchise has remained financially successful over the years since James Cameron departed following T2, the series hasn't exactly maintained its sterling reputation as a quality science-fiction franchise. The poor reception which followed TERMINATOR: GENISYS forced Skydance Productions to hit the brakes on their sequel plans, but, a savior soon emerged. James Cameron announced that he would be returning to the TERMINATOR franchise to develop the next installment of the series, which is to be directed by Tim Miller (DEADPOOL). Both Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton will also be returning, setting the stage for a grand reunion.

Arnold Schwarzengger spoke with Business Insider recently, saying that he still loves playing the character, but admitting that TERMINATOR: GENISYS wasn't all he hoped it would be. "It’s hard to come up with new ideas when you stay within that framework," Schwarzenegger said in regards to the convoluted plot which shifted between past and future, but he's confident that the next film will succeed by going back to basics.

I think [James] Cameron and Tim [Miller] came up with a concept where they can continue on with the T-800 but make a whole new movie. What they are doing now with this one is basically to just take a few very basic characters, like Linda Hamilton’s character and my character, and dismiss everything else. Just move away from all these rules of the timeline and other characters.

We've known that the upcoming film would be ignoring much of the James Cameron-less part of the franchise, with the director even implying that it would be the true sequel to TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY, but it will be interesting to see just how much they'll be stripping away for the new film. Although Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton will "anchor" the story, this new film, which is expected to be the first of a trilogy, will serve to hand off the baton to a new generation of characters. Cameron and Miller began searching last month for a "18-something young woman to essentially be the new centerpiece of these stories."

Are there any elements from TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES, TERMINATOR: SALVATION, or TERMINATOR: GENISYS which you wish weren't being tossed away?

The new TERMINATOR film is set to hit theaters on July 26, 2019.