“Didn’t Want to See It Happen”: James Cameron’s Unexpected Decision Terrified Arnold Schwarzenegger After He’d Already Experienced a Blow With Conan’s Sequel

The “Terminator” series not only played a decisive role in shaping Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Hollywood journey but also established a new league of time-traveling cyborg assassins. Previously, the 7x Mr. Olympia had featured in other roles, including Conan the Barbarian, but T-800 became a money-crunching blockbuster. However, the bodybuilding legend had some reservations about the storyline of Terminator 2 (1991). Thankfully, James Cameron dissuaded all the doubts of the charming actor. Otherwise, the world would be starved of a legendary masterpiece. 

In Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story, the famous bodybuilder legend told the well-known director, James Cameron, about his worries. The director from Canada calmed down Schwarzenegger and said the movie would have enough action scenes. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger was afraid the Terminator franchise would dunk

 “Conan the Barbarian” catapulted the Austrian Oak’s career as a leading Hollywood man. It also solidified the transition of the legend into movies from a thriving bodybuilding career. After tasting box office success, the sword-wielding bodybuilder became more and more focused on his on-screen portrayal.

So when it was time for the sequel of Terminator, Schwarzenegger confessed, “How can the Terminator not kill anyone?” I asked. “He’s a terminator! That’s what people want to see, me kicking in doors and machine-gunning everybody.” The statesman did not want to dilute the storyline of the movie. He was apprehensive about T-800 turning into a helpful cyborg who saves humankind from extinction.

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The former bodybuilding pro further revealed to the readers of his autobiography, “I was suspicious that the studio was pulling back and trying to make the Terminator into something rated PG. That had destroyed Conan, and I didn’t want to see it happen to the Terminator. In a previous interview, the ex-Governor of California had underscored the mistakes that marred the success of the sequel, Conan the Destroyer (1984). A new director helmed the film due to John Milius’s unavailability. Moreover, a change in approach to the sequel created box office trouble for the budding franchise. 

PG- Rating did not work for Conan the Destroyer

The 1982 movie did not deviate much from the character created by Robert E. Howard in his pulp fiction stories. It had all the elements that would make a splash across theatres. The movie included brutal killings, blood, fantasy, and adult scenes with an R rating. However, during the filming of “Conan the Destroyer, it was decided to tone down the visceral scenes and push for a PG – Rating as the strategy had worked wonders for Sylvester Stallone in Rocky III, earning him an “extra” 20 million. 

However, the Fubar actor was not convinced by the approach. He earlier revealed in an interview, “It’s a matter of how much you want to stay within the character’s reality,” added Terminator. “Can you slaughter people and never see blood? Is it possible? You must have battles. That’s part of life, war, and the world of Conan,” further commented Arnie. The movie has also made many other flaws.

There was a lack of character development and a very simplistic storyline. Additionally, constant comparisons to the Austrian Oak’s other movies sealed the fate of the franchise. Have you watched any of these movies? Let us know in the comments. 

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