Terminator 3 : rising slope of the Machinesunceremoniously kill off Sarah Connor , but the original architectural plan was for Linda Hamilton to return to the theatrical role . John Connor may be present as the most important character in mostTerminatormovies , but the true heart of the enfranchisement isSarah Connor , and her journeying from normal working stiff judge to make her way in the world to badass protector of mankind . Sarah perish though a pot , and Hamilton plays every bit of it with the proper emotion , or in some case lack thereof .

WhileTerminator 3was a box business office bang , and received generally incontrovertible reviews from critics , it ’s always kind of ride in the middle for most diehardTerminatorfranchise fans . It ’s leagues better thanSalvationandGenisys , and more fun than the often downbeatDark Fate . Yet , it ’s also clear not on the same level of the classical first two movie aim by James Cameron . It ’s worth watching , but it ’s not a really great film .

Related : The Only Terminator Movie Where No One Says " I ’ll Be Back "

Superman Teaser Trailer Guy Gardner Nathan Fillion

Part of the reasonTerminator 3doesn’t move up to those heights is probably the absence seizure of Sarah Connor , as well asEdward Furlongnot returning as John Connor . fan had grown attached to both portrayal , and were now being ask to accept a new John and a bushed Sarah . Here ’s whyLinda Hamiltondidn’t come back .

Terminator 3: Why Linda Hamilton Didn’t Return as Sarah Connor

Back whenJames CamerondirectingTerminator 3was still a hypothesis in the late 1990s , Linda Hamilton was planned to return as Sarah Connor . However , after a legal wad surrounding the rights to the enfranchisement direct to Cameron dropping out , Hamilton also made the conclusion to exit in November 2000 . While Cameron and Hamilton had both married and divorced sinceTerminator 2 : Judgment Day , she still felt that without her ex - married man at the helm , Terminator 3would be DOA . At that level , Edward Furlong was still set to reprise John , although he would eventually get fire due to drug trouble .

In a 2009 consultation , Hamilton expanded on her reasoning for not being a part ofTerminator 3 , enounce that she read the script but was unimpressed . Hamilton felt her character bow had been done perfectly in the first two motion-picture show , and did n’t need to bring Sarah back without undecomposed grounds . The hand she was given shifted Sarah to the background of the story in favor of focusing on John , and kill her off halfway through , with no time taken to mourn her death . Hamilton felt the script made Sarah a disposable character , so she declined the offer to return , andTerminator 3was changed so that Sarah had croak years before . gratefully , Terminator : Dark Fateeventually provide a real chance for Hamilton ’s Sarah to be revive , placing her at the center of the story .

More : The Disturbing Reason OJ Simpson Did n’t Play The Terminator

A Composite Image of ScreenRant’s Exclusive 2025 Summer Movie Preview images from Superman, Jurassic World Rebirth, How to Train Your Dragon, Fountain of Youth, Hurry Up Tomorrow, Nobody 2, and From the World of John Wick: Ballerina

Scarlet Witch looking disappointed in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

Terminator 3 With Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor

Sarah Connor Linda Hamilton 2019 Option 2

Terminator