Arnold Schwarzenegger criticises recent Terminator sequels: ‘They were not well written’

‘The franchise is not done. I’m done,’ said the actor

Arnold Schwarzenegger has criticised the later Terminator sequels, describing them as “not well written”.

The actor and former politician starred as the mechanical T-800 robot in the acclaimed 1984 sci-fi thriller The Terminator, later reprising the role in four of the five sequels.

In a new interview, Schwarzenegger praised the first three Terminator films (including 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgement Day and 2003’s Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines) while disparaging the latter three: Terminator Salvation (2009), Terminator Genysis (2015) and Terminator: Dark Fate (2019).

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor remarked: “The franchise is not done. I’m done. 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.

“The first three movies were great,” he continued. “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.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Schwarzenegger also opened up about the long-touted sequel to Twins, the 1988 comedy directed by the late Ivan Reitman in which Schwarzenegger played the unlikely twin brother of Danny DeVito’s character.

The sequel, reportedly titled Triplets, had been rumoured to involve Eddie Murphy as a third sibling. Schwarzenegger claims that the project collapsed due to the reluctance of Reitman’s son, Juno filmmaker Jason Reitman.

Arnold Schwarzenegger in ‘Terminator: Dark Fate' (Kerry Brown)

“Jason Reitman f***ed it up! Jason Reitman literally stopped the project when his father died [in 2022],” Schwarzenegger alleged. “His father wanted to do it really badly. I wanted to do it really badly. Danny DeVito wanted to do it really badly. We had the financing.

“When his father passed away, Jason says, ‘I never liked the idea’ and put a hold on it. I’m developing another movie with Danny; he’s so much fun to work with and so talented.”

The Independent has contacted a representative of Jason Reitman for comment.