Emilia Clarke Won't Be Back For More 'Terminator' Movies

Here's how you know the Terminator series is in a rut: Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Terminator: Salvation, and Terminator Genisys were all announced as the first film in a new trilogy, only for those direct sequels to never materialize. Each of the past three sequels in this once-untouchable series has been an attempt to reboot the whole thing, to build the foundation for the future of the franchise, only for the entire enterprise to end in tears.

Terminator Genisys was critically reviled, shrugged off by audiences, and a box office disappointment, grossing less than $100 million at the domestic box office. And despite a major cliffhanger and the promise of more films to follow, star Emilia Clarke says she will not be back for any future sequels.ComingSoon caught up with Clarke and asked her about the possibility of her playing the rebooted Sarah Connor in Terminator 6 or beyond and her answer is hilariously blunt:

"No. Can I say that? It's okay. No. Uh-uh. But I have some very different roles coming up."

Ouch. There's not even any of that typical hemming and hawing you see with many actors, who try to show a brave face and look on the bright side and offer a hopeful/desperate "We'll see." Although the direct sequel to Terminator Genisys was seemingly cancelled back in January (it was "getting a re-adjustment" before that), this can't help but feel like the final nail in the coffin.

Still, don't weep too many tears for Clarke. She still plays one of the most popular characters on HBO's Game of Thrones (which means she plays one of the most popular characters in the world) and she has the adaptation of Jojo Moyes' Me Before You waiting in the wings, a project that she sounds very passionate about:

"I read the book and it was just the most beautiful thing I had ever read. I was shooting Terminator at the time and had a rocket launcher in my hand while crying like a little girl. I felt like the author, Jojo Moyes, had found a part of me and just wrote it down. I knew that I just had to play the role."

In the meantime, the best thing the Terminator series can do for now is take a break and lie dormant, if not retire altogether. The first two films are still masterpieces and with time, people will forget about the sequels and remember why they fell in love with the originals in the first place. Time will be kind to the Terminator name on the strength of The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day alone. Another Terminator film is inevitable...let's just hope it takes a good long time to come together.