I don't think this franchise is screwed (yet), but I do think they made a huge mistake by bringing Arnold back, and basically relying on him for success. If they were going to reboot this, they should've just done it. He looks old, and I don't care what excuse they make in the story, the dude is 70 and he's playing a robot. I don't agree with the notion that Arnold is the only key to making this series successful and that Salvation was the proof of that. Salvation just wasn't a
good movie. You don't need Arnold to make a good movie.
The whole problem with everything after T2 is that we don't know which timeline to follow, and that includes
The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Now with Genisys, the storyline in the old movies still counts, but it's being reset. That leaves us with 5 separate continuities - it's just too convoluted. There are hundreds of questions to be asked.
What they should've done is COMPLETELY IGNORE the past movies and TV show, and LITERALLY start from scratch, without Arnold. Tell the entire story again as if it were the first time, just like with
Batman Begins, just like with
Casino Royale, just like with
Man of Steel, just like with
The Amazing Spider-Man. That's how you do it.
Superman Returns is an example of what you
don't do, and now I'm seeing the same thing with Genisys.
Get an actor to play the Terminator who is younger and is an action star. Hell, there are dozens. The Rock, Jason Momoa, Vin Diesel, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, Tom Hardy, Idris Elba, Javier Bardem. They could all EASILY carry the franchise, and they barely don't even need to speak.
Breathe new life into the series, don't rely on same star from 30 years ago who barely had any dialogue. He has no character. There's no personality or character there. The T-101 is a completely blank slate. He doesn't even have a name. It's not like they have to follow an arc. He's not Indiana Jones or James Bond - and hell, they ARE recasting them. Meanwhile, they're sticking to the 70 year old actor who played an emotionless robot who hardly speaks. It's a ROBOT. Get someone else.