Decades After Making Everyone Fall in Love With a Robot, Arnold Schwarzenegger Shares Disappointing News for Terminator Fans: “Knew That Ahead of Time”

In 1984 Arnold Schwarzenegger portrayed a killer robot with human flesh and skin that barely spoke, in The Terminator. The film was directed by then-up-and-coming filmmaker James Cameron and starred then-up-and-coming actors. However, the film was a smash hit, launching the careers of everyone involved. Schwarzenegger became a household name after his iconic portrayal of the killer robot from a dystopian future. However, the 75-year-old who portrayed the T-800 in four films had bad news for Terminator fans.

The bodybuilding icon who made moviegoers fall in love with a killer robot recently chatted with The Hollywood Reporter. During the interview, the Hollywood action icon talked about the Terminator franchise. While he had some good news, he also had a bad one.

Arnold Schwarzenegger on his future with the franchise

“The Terminator franchise — it feels done now?” asked James Hibberd. “The franchise is not done,” Arnie responded. However, the following two words would break the heart of any Terminator fan. “I’m done,” said the seven-time Mr. Olympia. While the first two movies, directed by Cameron, found critical and commercial acclaim, the others never reached those highs.

James Cameron stopped directing the Terminator movies after Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991). However, the other filmmaker who took the helm missed the mark. “I got the message loud and clear that the world wants to move on with a different theme when it comes to The Terminator,” Schwarzenegger said. While the Titanic director produced Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) and said Arnie had to star in it, he also raised concern about the former Mr. Olympia’s age.

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“Someone has to come up with a great idea,” said the Governator. He acknowledged how the franchise made him a star. However, the 75-year-old didn’t praise the final two installments. “We knew that ahead of time because they were just not well written,” the actor told The Hollywood Reporter. However, the five-time Mr. Universe is hopeful and won’t make the mistake of underestimating Cameron’s idea again.

Conan the Barbarian underestimated The Terminator

Rick Wayne, one of Arnie’s bodybuilder friends, visited him on the sets of Conan the Destroyer in 1984. While the two friends chatted, Schwarzenegger grabbed Conan’s sword and a pair of boots. The shoes looked out of place among the medieval props, so he asked the Austrian Oak about them.

The former Mr. Olympia said those were the boots for his character in The Terminator. “Oh, some s*** movie I’m doing, take a couple of weeks,” the bodybuilding legend told Wayne. Little did Arnie know, he had underestimated Cameron’s idea. Conan the Destroyer (1984) didn’t fair well at the box office, while The Terminator spawned one of the longest-running franchises in Hollywood history. However, only time will tell if The Terminator can make a triumphant at the box office.

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