Arnold Schwarzenegger became one of the most profitable action stars when he starred in the sci-fi film The Terminator. The James Cameron directorial became one of the cornerstones of sci-fi films and its sequel, T2: Judgement Day is often considered one of the best sequels ever made.
The franchise has been dwindling after the second film’s release and, despite several attempts at a revival, has constantly received only negative responses. Netflix recently announced that the Schwarzenegger starring franchise has been revived yet again in the form of an anime series, and fans are not happy.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator Franchise
Arnold Schwarzenegger first appeared as the Terminator, an AI assassin sent from the future, in 1984’s sci-fi action film The Terminator. The film was directed by James Cameron on a shoestring budget of $6.4 million and was a massive hit, earning over $78 million at the box office.
The film saw Schwarzenegger sent to kill Sarah Conner, the future mother of John Conner, the rebel leader who leads the resistance against the corporation Skynet and its army of machines after a nuclear war. Sarah Conner is played by Linda Hamilton and sees her fleeing from the Terminator with the help of another time traveler, Kyle Reese.
The mammoth success of the first film encouraged Cameron to make a sequel, which included ideas that he had first conceived while writing the first one. T2: Judgement Day was an even bigger success, earning over $500 million, and is considered to be one of the greatest sci-films ever made. Cameron exited the franchise after the film and it was followed by Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.
No other sequel of the franchise was able to replicate the success of the first two films. The franchise was revived with Terminator: Salvation and after its failure, was rebooted with Terminator: Genisys, which saw Arnold Schwarzenegger return. Another film, Terminator: Dark Fate was released in 2019, and despite relatively positive reviews, was a commercial failure.
Do Fans Want Another Revival Of The Terminator Franchise?
It is reboot and revival season in Hollywood and the streaming giant Netflix recently announced that they would be reviving the Terminator franchise in the form of an anime series. According to Variety, the series is set in 1997 and follows a similar plotline to the Arnold Schwarzenegger starring first film.
The series reportedly follows a soldier from 2022 sent back to 1997 to save a scientist from creating an AI that rivals that of Skynet, while he is hunted by an assassin also sent from the future. Created by the studio behind the popular Ghost in the Shell anime, Production IG, the show is written and produced by Matt Tomlin and will feature new characters set in the franchise.
The showrunner stated to Variety,
“I’m honored that Netflix and Skydance have given me the opportunity to approach ‘Terminator’ in a way that breaks conventions, subverts expectations, and has real guts.”
However, fans of the franchise seem to be conflicted about the announcement as they have been disappointed time and again with the sequels. Films such as Terminator: Salvation and Genisys have received extremely negative reviews and the one film that got a relatively warmer response, put the franchise to rest after not earning enough. Hence, the fans seem to be cautious about an anime revival of the franchise.
A lot of studios are trying to jump on the anime bandwagon.
— Michael Austin (@mikeswriting) November 11, 2023
Most of them will completely miss the point.
Netflix trying milk everything
— FudgeWilde (@Fudgewilde) November 11, 2023
Just because we watch anime too doesn’t mean everything has to have an anime version too, studios are getting desperate
— Screen Wizard 🧙♂️ (@screenwizardz) November 11, 2023
If Arnold ain’t in it, I’m not watching pic.twitter.com/lzdRA537f8
— ViolentFights (@ViolentFight) November 11, 2023
like this? pic.twitter.com/baCymTixg4
— SHHAN (@shhan1211) November 11, 2023
JUST REST THE FRANCHISE COMPLETELY!
— Aryan Gupta (@SavageAryan007) November 12, 2023
While Arnold Schwarzenegger is not confirmed to return, the 76-year-old action star might appear in a voice cameo.
