James Cameron has expressed his desire to revisit the Terminator

franchise despite some poorly received recent sequels, and another popular series that originated in the 1970s may have laid the foundation for Terminator’s success. The Terminator was first released in 1984, and the movie recieved widespread critical acclaim. Following its tremendous success, director and writer James Cameron went on to make Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which proved to be even more popular, and cemented the franchises reputation in sci-fi history.

However, since then, the subsequent sequels have been decidedly less popular. Each new film has made efforts to bring the franchise back to the mainstream, but with multiple reboots and a confused timeline, the series is weaker than ever. Add to this the fact that the stars of the movies have aged out of their roles, and the appeтιтe for the Terminator movies is at an all-time low, and it’s hard to imagine a comeback. However, a similar sci-fi thriller series that started just five years earlier has proven that a comeback without the original heroes is possible.

If Alien: Romulus Can Successfully Replace Ripley, Terminator 7 Can Replace Arnold Schwarzenegger

Alien: Romulus Proved That These Franchises Can Grow Beyond The Original Stars

Alien first debuted in 1979, and the Ridley Scott-directed sci-fi film proved an incredible hit, and launched Sigourney Weaver’s career as a leading lady in an action-heavy story. And, interestingly, Cameron was also brought in to direct and write a sequel that would be released in 1986. And like Terminator, the franchise struggled to get the same level of success, despite bringing back Weaver as Ripley. Now, decades later, the series has found renewed vigor with Alien: Romulus, an entry that has gotten the highest scores on Rotten Tomatoes in decades.

Prior to this, the series tried to change course away from Ripley with movies like Prometheus, and while they have now managed to gain a solid fanbase, the movie received mixed reviews when it debuted. Terminator Salvation also tried to bring the films into a new era without Arnold Schwarzenegger in a leading role, but the movie failed to get any traction. But Alien: Romulus does prove it’s possible to revive these famous movie series with the right story.

Why James Cameron’s Terminator 7 Needs To Replace Arnold Schwarzenegger

Terminator Has Grown Beyond Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800

When The Terminator came out in 1984, Schwarzenegger was at the height of his popularity and his status as an action hero was firmly established. The then 37-year-old was perfect for the part of the T-800 robot, but he is 77 as of 2025. Bringing him back to be either a menacing robot, or a reformed villain makes no real sense. And worse still, because of the numerous sequels that he did appear in, his presence does little to evoke a sense of nostalgia or excitement about the original movies, but instead serves as a callback to the many entries that went wrong.

The core concept, of a futuristic company like Skynet sending killer robots back in time to control events is exciting and engaging. Exploring more aspects of the nefarious company, the Terminator robots, or the past that is fighting to stop the future from falling into chaos are all exciting concepts. But Schwarzenegger returning would likely hinder the story and progression more than it would add to it after years of the franchise retreading the same stories again and again.

If Replacing Arnold Schwarzenegger Doesn’t Work, The Terminator Franchise Has No Future

Terminator’s Last Hope Is To Find A New Story To Focus On

Terminator Salvation did make an attempt to revive the franchise without Schwarzenegger in 2009, but the movie was a critical failure when it came to engaging the audience. With Cameron returning to the franchise after decades away, and more creative control than simply contributing in part to the story, there is hope for the franchise to succeed again. And on top of that, the success and popularity of Alien: Romulus suggest there is an appeтιтe for these stories as long as they are handled correctly.

Terminator 7 has a long road ahead, and many obstacles to overcome, especially when it comes to getting fans’ trust back that the series can deliver quality stories, but there is hope. And while Arnold Schwarzenegger has not done anything to damage the series, his mere presence is a sign of a ᴅᴇᴀᴅ series of movies. For that reason, the movies need to move on, and cast someone new in the role of the Terminator, as well as explore a whole new side to the story. Where Romulus went to the middle of the timeline, maybe Terminator can move forward into the future, and finally restore the series to its former glory with a new cast.