“I Refused To Do It Without Arnold”: James Cameron Regretted Casting Arnold Schwarzenegger in Over $79 Million Worth Iconic Movie

When Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Cameron came together for the first time in the 1984 movie, The Terminator, little did they know that they would make a blockbuster combination. But, for Cameron, the latest in the franchise, Terminator: Dark Fate didn’t turn out as expected.

Schwarzenegger and Cameron have been good friends for over forty decades. Although Cameron expressed he was reasonably happy with how the movie worked globally, he cut through the nitty gritty of the movie that he presumed to have led to the movie’s failure. In a 2022 interview, Oscar-award-winning director Cameron gave his honest and comprehensive take on the dark fate of the 2019 movie, which was a direct sequel to Terminator 2 (1991).

James Cameron believes casting Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton cost them hugely

As exciting as they are, sequels are huge risks the movie makers venture to take. Besides bringing back the iconic characters donned by the legendary actor, Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton came with huge expectations from fans across the globe. The 2019 movie was directed by Cameron and Tim Miller. Interestingly, Tim didn’t want Arnold in the movie, but Cameron backed him.

In an interview with Deadline in 2022, Cameron admitted the problem and owned it. “I refused to do it without Arnold,” he stated. He faced a dilemma and dreaded a confrontation with Schwarzenegger. “Jim, I can’t believe you’re making a Terminator movie without me.” And the whole idea took a complicated turn when Tim insisted on having Linda on board.

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As a result, the sequel of the roaring hit movie, Terminator 2 in the 21st century casting the lead actors in their 60s and 70s “wasn’t even your dad’s ‘Terminator’ movie, it was your granddad’s ‘Terminator’ movie.” That said, the ace director reflected on an important point they missed taking into consideration.

A misjudgment of the fanbase

The Terminator director didn’t dispute the joy of recreating the iconic movie with a fresh take. That said, he shared they missed out on realizing that the young audience wasn’t born then.

While it isn’t a bad idea to depend on the legacy and nostalgia of the sequel, weighing its pros and cons and operational challenges in execution with a broader perspective could have prevented the legendary stakeholders of the franchise from a discussion such as this. Do you agree with this? Share in the comment section.

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