The destiny of The Terminator franchise would have changed forever if Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn’t given a chance to play the iconic role. It skyrocketed both the franchise and the actor’s career to new heights. Turns out initially, one of the founders of the Orion Pictures had different plans for the Comando actor, but so did fate. The team behind the movie and a very uncertain James Cameron wanted Schwarzenegger to play the protagonist, Kyle Reese.
Thinking back fans are now realizing how wild it would have been to witness the actor in something completely opposite of the thing that ended up happening, and how it would have impacted the success of the film.
Arnold Schwarzenegger almost wasn’t the Terminator
Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s take on the Terminator impacted pop culture in such a way that it cannot be described in words. This not only propelled him into stardom but also forever altered the way audiences perceive cinema. The stature, the look, the acting everything made a perfect formula for the success of the franchise that will end up turning into a phenomenon. But turns out he wasn’t the first choice for the role of Terminator but the executives involved with the movie wanted him to play the protagonist Kyle Reese, and so did a very uncertain James Cameron.
But with time, and after meeting the actor, Cameron strongly opposed the choice. So much so, that he almost started a fight just not to cast him as one of the roles that would also end up having a cult of fans of his own. However, when the actor-director duo started to discuss the villain, a perfect opportunity presented itself in front of the director to kick Schwarzenegger out of the running but also at the same keep him in the film.
While discussing the Terminator, Cameron saw what others failed to observe initially and pushed him for the role of the antagonist. In the end, it was a win-win-win situation for all, since the actor, director, and Orion Pictures all were happy with the decision.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is done being the Terminator
Although the Terminator movies were all the rage back in the day, the franchise has fizzled out with time. Thus after reprising his iconic role multiple times, Arnold Schwarzenegger is done with the franchise and now wants to move on. In a Hollywood Reporter interview, he stated,
“The franchise is not done. I’m done. I got the message loud and clear that the world wants to move on with a different theme when it comes to The Terminator. Someone has to come up with a great idea.”
Thus even though the franchise has given him so much he thinks it’s time to stop. Amidst the countless reboots, sequels, and remakes, knowing when it’s the right time to stop is a skill Hollywood is still struggling with. Thus, he is taking himself out of that world himself and in turn focusing on his return to the action genre once again. As he recently marked his re-entry with FUBAR, he garnered a lot of positive responses from his fans who were eagerly waiting for him to make a comeback. FUBAR is now available to stream on Netflix.
Source: Entertainment Tonight
