James Cameron Has Implied The Next Terminator Won't Include Arnold Schwarzenegger. Why I'm Cautiously Optimistic

For the past 40-plus years, one man has been associated with the Terminator franchise more than anyone else. No, it’s not John Connor. Nor is it James Cameron (but he is involved in what I’m about to say). Instead, it’s Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose time-traveling T-800 cyborg has been spitting out iconic one-liners like “I’ll be back,” ever since the 1984 debut of one of the best sci-fi movies of all time. However, it sounds like the actor-turned-governor-turned-actor-again won’t be involved when the franchise makes its eventual return.

I recently found out that James Cameron is working on a new Terminator movie after going through that must-read THR interview, but was surprised to learn that the franchise star wouldn’t be a part of the story. Now that the shock has worn off and I’ve started to make sense of it all, I have to admit that while I’m not totally on board with this, I am cautiously optimistic about the situation. Hear me out…

Honestly, I Don’t Know If I Want (Or Need) More Terminator In The First Place

Don’t get me wrong, I love the Terminator movies… even the bad ones. Watching Terminator 2: Judgment Day with my older brother back in the ‘90s changed my life (it was also the first Blu-ray I owned), and I still consider The Terminator to be one of the scariest sci-fi movies ever made. Hell, I even had a great time watching Terminator: Dark Fate a few years ago, even if I was one of a few people in the theater.

The thing is, every aspect of the Terminator setup has been done already. We’ve had an evil T-800, a good T-800, kid John Connor, druggie John Connor, adult John Connor, evil John Connor, and all kinds of Sarah Connors over the years. We’ve been in the past, present, and future, and I really don’t know where the story could go from here. And I’m even less sure if I want more or if the franchise should just be put to rest at this point.

This Could Breathe Some New Life Into The Franchise

That said, I’m not completely writing the franchise off, but instead going with a healthy dose of cautious optimism that the decision to take Schwarzenegger and his T-800 character out of the equation could be for the best. If anything, it could breathe some new life into the franchise if we’re going to keep this thing going.

I understand that Schwarzenegger’s cyborg (all the different versions) is essentially the mascot and drawing power of the Terminator franchise, but creating, building, and sticking with another character (or characters) could go a long way and prevent the series from going back to the bag of old tricks. I mean, we’ve seen the Alien and Predator properties do this in recent years (more on the former later), and I honestly think that could be the case here. It’d take some time to get used to, but after that initial shock, it could work… with the right story.

Maybe This Means We Could Put The Connor Saga Behind Us, As Well

If Schwarzenegger and his iconic character won’t be coming back for the new Terminator movie (whenever that may be), maybe this means the franchise can finally move beyond the whole Connor saga as well. I mean, Linda Hamilton has said she’s “done” with the character after Terminator: Dark Fate and has nothing more to say, so hopefully that means Cameron and the powers that be don’t try to rehash that story again.

As I mentioned above, we’ve seen every variation of the Connor family story over the yeas, and it’s about time we say goodbye to them once and for all. No new timelines, no rehashing, no rebooting. Just move past it and start something new. Don’t get me wrong, I think Sarah’s arc, just like Hamilton’s performance, is one of the best the genre has ever seen, but it’s gotten stale with the more recent releases.

The Star Wars franchise has shown that it’s possible to have success without the primary family (the Skywalkers in that case) taking up all the story real estate. Sure, it will take some time for fans to get used to it, but it can work.

I Know It’s Different, But The Alien Franchise Has Had Some Great Moments Without Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley

Another reason why I’m not writing this new Terminator off is the fact that, like Star Wars, the Alien franchise has found a way to continue without Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley. Though I would give anything to see what Neill Blomkamp had in store for the character before the District 9 director’s concept went out the window, the property has been on a hot streak in recent years, even without the legendary female badass.

Though I’m not the biggest fan of Ridley Scott’s Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, the delightful 2024 return to form that was Alien: Romulus and the 2025 TV show Alien: Earth were both fantastic and created new stories set inside that vast universe. If we could get that but with Terminator, I think this could be the start of the next phase in the franchise’s story. Or, this could be wishful thinking.

If Arnold Doesn’t Come Back, They Better Not Pull A Terminator: Salvation

In the event that a new Terminator movie actually happens, and Schwarzenegger isn’t involved, I really hope that we don’t get another Terminator: Salvation situation on our hands. Remember that awkward and downright awful CGI version of the T-800 that was featured in the 2009 movie? Woof!

Not only was it ugly as sin (the tech wasn’t there, and I don’t think it ever will be), but it also served as a distraction. After that scene, I couldn’t stop thinking about that abomination. If we’re going to move beyond the T-800, let’s just make it a clean break and go start something new. Don’t ride the fence; pick a side….

Regardless of what happens, I’ll probably end up seeing any and all new Terminator movies. That said, I really hope this one is at least somewhat watchable and not like Terminator: Genysis.