Triplets, the long-in-the-works sequel to Twins, is dead, says Arnold Schwarzenegger. The killer, he claims, is Jason Reitman, son of Twins director Ivan Reitman.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Schwarzenegger lays the blame for the long-gestating sequel’s demise squarely at the feet of Reitman: “Jason Reitman f–ked it up! Jason Reitman literally stopped the project when his father died. His father wanted to do it really badly. I wanted to do it really badly. Danny DeVito wanted to do it really badly. We had the financing. When his father passed away, Jason says, “I never liked the idea” and put a hold on it.” But fear not, fans of the unlikely Schwarzenegger/DeVito pairing: he adds, “I’m developing another movie with Danny; he’s so much fun to work with and so talented.”

Twins Marked a Turning Point for Arnold Schwarzenegger

1988’s Twins starred Schwarzenegger and DeVito as Julius and Vincent Benedict, an unlikely pair of fraternal twins, conceived via a secret genetics experiment, who were separated at birth and reunited as adults to seek out their long-lost mother. It also starred Kelly Preston, Chloe Webb, David Caruso, and, in his first on-screen role, Jason Reitman. Ivan Reitman, the Canadian mastermind behind comedy hits like Meatballs, Stripes, and Ghostbusters, produced and directed the film, which was an enormous box-office success, grossing over $200 million on an $18 million budget. It was Schwarzenegger‘s first foray into comedy, and paved the way for him to star in a string of comedy hits in the ’90s. As Schwarzenegger forewent his normally hefty salary for a share of the film’s profits, it was a huge financial success for him, as well. Triplets has been in the planning stages for some time. At one point Eddie Murphy was slated to star as the third Benedict brother, with a script written by Josh Gad and Ryan Dixon. The project was still alive in 2021, when Murphy dropped out and Tracy Morgan was brought in to replace him. Ivan Reitman was attached to direct, but after his death at age 75 in 2022, the project stalled.

Jason Reitman has returned to his father’s work in the past, directing 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife. He is currently filming Afterlife‘s as-yet untitled sequel, which will take Afterlife‘s junior Ghostbusters to New York City. According to Schwarzenegger, at least, Twins was one element of his father’s filmography that didn’t appeal to him.

Schwarzenegger‘s new Netflix series, FUBAR, premieres on May 25. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.

via Collider