Arnold Schwarzenegger Has 3 Sequels Planned But Only One Actually Makes Sense

Arnold Schwarzenegger built his entire career on a handful of iconic ’80s franchises — and now, decades later, he’s signaling a return to not just one, but three of them. That’s either an exciting nostalgia play or a serious case of Hollywood wishful thinking, depending on which franchise you’re talking about.

The news has fans of classic action cinema paying close attention. Schwarzenegger has been publicly connected to potential sequels or revivals of three major properties from his golden era. But when you look at each one honestly, only a single project appears to have genuine creative legs — the others carry real questions about whether they should exist at all.

Here’s what we know, and more importantly, what actually makes sense.

Three Franchises, Three Very Different Situations

Schwarzenegger’s ’80s output wasn’t just commercially successful — it was culturally defining. Films like Conan the Barbarian, The Terminator, and others didn’t just make money. They created characters and worlds that audiences still talk about forty years later. So when word spreads that any of these properties might come back with the original star attached, it naturally generates buzz.

The challenge is that nostalgia and good storytelling aren’t always the same thing. Returning to a beloved franchise requires more than star power. It requires a story worth telling — one that respects what came before while justifying why the story is being continued now.

Of the three franchises reportedly in play, Conan stands out as the one with the most credible path forward. Schwarzenegger has been publicly connected to a new Conan project, and unlike some of the other potential revivals, there’s a legitimate argument for why the character could work again. Conan is a mythic, timeless figure — not locked to a specific era or technological context. An older, battle-worn Conan still makes narrative sense within the world of the character.

Why the Conan Revival Has the Strongest Case

The original Conan the Barbarian from 1982 remains one of the most atmospheric fantasy films ever made. Directed by John Milius, it gave Schwarzenegger his first major starring role and established a visual and tonal template that even modern fantasy productions still reference. The 1984 sequel, Conan the Destroyer, was a lighter follow-up that never matched the original’s weight.

A third Conan film with Schwarzenegger has been discussed in various forms for years. What makes it more believable now is that an aging warrior — a Conan who has lived through decades of battle and loss — is actually a compelling concept. The character doesn’t need to be at his physical peak to be interesting. In fact, the opposite could be true. There’s real dramatic potential in a legendary fighter confronting mortality, legacy, and what comes after conquest.

That’s a story worth telling. It doesn’t require pretending time hasn’t passed. It uses time as the central dramatic ingredient.

The Other Two Franchises Raise More Questions Than Answers

The same logic doesn’t apply as cleanly to the other franchises reportedly in discussion. Some of Schwarzenegger’s most famous roles are tied to very specific circumstances — physical, narrative, or technological — that make a straightforward continuation harder to justify on creative grounds.

Consider what made those original films work in the first place. In many cases, it was the specific combination of Schwarzenegger’s physicality at a particular moment, a story built around that physicality, and a cultural context that no longer exists in the same way. Revisiting those films risks producing something that feels more like a tribute act than a genuine continuation.

That’s not a knock on Schwarzenegger himself. It’s a structural problem with certain types of action franchises — they’re built around a version of the star that existed at a specific point in time, and no amount of goodwill fully bridges that gap.

A Quick Look at the Three Franchises in Play

Note: Specific details on all three franchises were not fully available in The Conan revival is the most confirmed and discussed of the three projects.

What This Tells Us About Hollywood’s Nostalgia Cycle

Schwarzenegger isn’t alone in this. The entire industry has been leaning hard on legacy IP for the better part of two decades. The difference between a revival that works and one that doesn’t usually comes down to one question: does the passage of time help the story or hurt it?

For Conan, time helps. A mythic barbarian who has grown old in a brutal world is inherently interesting. The years add weight rather than subtracting from the premise.

For action franchises built around a specific physical ideal or a narrative concept that was already resolved, the math is harder. Studios often greenlight these projects because the name recognition is valuable, not because someone has cracked the story problem. That’s when revivals tend to disappoint — not because the original was bad, but because the new entry didn’t earn its existence.

Schwarzenegger clearly still has an audience and still has presence on screen. The question isn’t whether he can make movies — it’s whether the right movies are being made. On that count, Conan looks like the right call. The other two remain to be seen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Arnold Schwarzenegger franchise revival seems most likely to actually happen?
Based on available reporting, the Conan the Barbarian revival has the most publicly discussed momentum and the strongest creative justification of the three franchises mentioned.

Has Schwarzenegger officially confirmed any of these sequels?
Schwarzenegger has been publicly connected to these potential projects, but full official confirmations with production details have not been established in

Why does an older Conan make more narrative sense than other revivals?
Conan is a mythic, timeless character whose story doesn’t depend on peak physical youth — an aging warrior facing his later years fits naturally within the character’s world and adds dramatic depth.

Are the other two franchises named in the original reporting?

Is Hollywood generally moving toward more legacy sequels like these?
Yes — the industry has leaned heavily on established IP and legacy franchises for years, though the results vary significantly depending on whether the new story justifies the continuation creatively.

When might a new Conan film arrive in theaters?
No confirmed production timeline or release date has been announced based on the information currently available.