Every good thing must come to an end. And, as for Arnold Schwarzenegger and his beloved Terminator franchise, that time is now. According to reports from the New York Daily News, an inside source from Los Angeles has claimed that Paramount Pictures executives have made peace with the decision as filmmaker James Cameron helps to produce a fresh installment.
The catalyst for the call was 2015's critical disappointment Terminator: Genisys, a title that saw Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke (Sarah Connor), Jai Courtney (Kyle Reese) and Jason Clarke (John Connor) flatter to deceive in their attempts to play the classic characters from the original films. Despite Schwarzenegger's assurance that a sequel to Genisys would take place as of last year, the movie that only recorded $440.6m worldwide was the final straw for the studio as they look to approach the series from a fresh angle.
Money Talks, But Execs Want A Blockbuster That Sings
While the film lined the pockets of those money men on the board of Paramount, they weren't naive enough to avoid the consensus from fans and critics. Speaking to the publication, the source has all but explained that they have pulled the plug from the Schwarzenegger arc that began with The Terminator in 1984.
"It is over for The Terminator and Arnold," they remarked bluntly. "The studio has taken the sequel off the production slate completely, meaning there is no preproduction or any plans for another sequel. The talent had been offered long term deals, but this is not happening. The Genisys movie was seen as a way of reviving (the franchise), but the critics were not happy and somehow the studio bosses fell out of love with making more, even though they made huge profits."
Will Arnie Go Down Independent Path?
The only glimmer of hope for the former Governor of California and host of The New Celebrity Apprentice would be to take the intellectual property with him to another independent studio. But as the source outlines, who would want to start something new with an action star that is the other side of 70?
“It would need an independent production company to think about making this, and asking Arnie back at age 70 to play that again may be a tough ask.”
The Austrian-raised icon is said to have made over $100m from the franchise that gave him his best catchphrases to date. This time it is Paramount saying, "Hasta la vista, baby."
Source: NY Daily News
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