The Terminator franchise will change significantly for Terminator 7, as Dark Fate was confirmed to be Arnold Schwarzenegger’s last outing as the iconic T-800. While Schwarzenegger’s career break came through Conan the Barbarian, the enduring success of the Terminator movies made him a household name. The T-800 is still one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s best movie roles, as it plays to his physical strength as well as his more comedic side, especially in Judgment Day. Though the movies introduce more updated, powerful, and genuinely scary Terminator models than the T-800, Schwarzenegger made his character last the test of time.

Schwarzenegger told The Hollywood Reporter that “the franchise is not done. I’m done,” when it came to the Terminator movies. The T-800 (a.k.a. Carl) was a main character in Dark Fate, and it appears that Schwarzenegger will keep his character’s promise that this time, he “won’t be back.” When it was revealed that James Cameron had a secret Terminator project, it was confirmed not to feature Schwarzenegger. It is almost certain that this top-secret project will be Terminator 7, but few details have emerged so far. This leaves a major change ahead of the franchise.

Terminator 7 Needs A Replacement For Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800

The Sequels’ Terminator Models Are Often More Powerful Than The T-800

The enormously successful sci-fi franchise has been going since the original Terminator in 1984, and there are now six movies in the Terminator series, with Dark Fate fitting in the timeline after Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character has been one of the most enduring faces in the Terminator franchise’s marketing and movie storylines for 40 years, but Terminator 7 must now replace him. While killer robots, AI, and time travel are all popular and versatile themes, there is only one Arnold Schwarzenegger. Replacing his character is likely the biggest decision that will be made while creating Terminator 7.

The Terminator movies have used ambitious ways to bring the T-800 back, but it is time to create an equally formidable character. This has been done before, and the shapeshifting T-1000 provided some genuinely terrifying moments in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Of all the Terminator models, there are several that are more powerful than the T-800, with the T-1000 being the most memorable. That said, Dark Fate used the best features of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800 and the T-1000 to create the strongest Terminator model yet. The Rev-9 could split into two beings, providing some excellent fight scenes.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Has Appeared In Every Terminator Movie So Far

Schwarzenegger Did Not Return For Terminator Salvation, But He Still Appeared In The Movie

Certain things happen in every Terminator movie, and for the past 40 years, Arnold Schwarzenegger making an appearance has been one of these things. While his character has not always had the main role or even been the most powerful Terminator model in the movie, Schwarzenegger’s presence has been central to the franchise. His character has evolved over time, with the sequels from Judgment Day onward introducing a more comedic element to the T-800 idea. That said, most of the subsequent sequels brought too much comedy to the character, with Dark Fate dialing things back again.

Even though Arnold Schwarzenegger did not return to film Terminator Salvation, he still made an appearance. The T-800 role was recast with another Austrian bodybuilder, Roland Kickinger, taking on the part. He played a prototype of the T-800, with Schwarzenegger’s CGI-created face being applied digitally over his own. Schwarzenegger agreed to allow the movie to use his likeness, so Kickinger essentially played his body double for Terminator Salvation. This would be the second time that he had essentially played Schwarzenegger, as Kickinger played the younger version of him in his biography, See Arnold Run.

Letting Go Of Schwarzenegger’s Character Is Key For Terminator To Evolve

Dark Fate Was A Fitting Farewell To The T-800

James Cameron had planned to reinvent the Terminator franchise with Dark Fate, but the movie was not an immediate critical hit. That said, Rotten Tomatoes gave it the highest rating of any Terminator movie since Judgment Day. Dark Fate is now becoming a sleeper hit, but Cameron told Empire that “it was a non-starter. There was nothing in the movie for a new audience.” The movie had prioritized fan service over new ideas, but the Terminator franchise needs to move on from past characters. If Terminator 7 is to succeed, this includes the T-800.

Dark Fate might not have attracted the high volume of new viewers that had been hoped for, but it was a fitting way to say goodbye to Schwarzenegger as the T-800. Judgment Day shows the beginning of the T-800 learning to sympathize with the human population, and Dark Fate shows the result of this character development, with the T-800 becoming a protagonist with a human name. That said, there were plenty of callbacks to other Terminator movies, with Schwarzenegger picking up his old sunglᴀsses once more, and changing his most memorable Terminator quote, “I’ll be back.”

Replacing Arnold Schwarzenegger In Terminator Is A Very Difficult Task

Terminator 7 Should Look At Past Terminator Movies For Casting Inspiration

The Terminator franchise has already proven that it can create a new Terminator model that is more dangerous than the T-800. The T-1000 and Rev-9 Terminator models have several nightmare fuel scenes and can easily beat a T-800 in a one-to-one fight. However, the problem is not in replacing the T-800, but in replacing the actor. As an actor, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s name is synonymous with the Terminator franchise, and anyone cast in a similar role to his will naturally be compared to his career-defining performance. Still, Cameron could take inspiration from past Terminator movies when writing the character.

Part of the success of Judgment Day‘s T-1000 is that it differs from the T-800 in both appearance and behavior. When casting an actor to replace Schwarzenegger, someone like The Rock or David Bautista might seem logical. However, to avoid viewers comparing them, the next face of the Terminator franchise should be very different from Schwarzenegger. Rather than a bodybuilder, a martial arts star like Donnie Yen could bring something new to the franchise. The Terminator actor must have a distinctive physical presence, so the sports, stunts, and martial arts worlds may be key to casting the next Terminator movie.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Empire