James Cameron Reveals His Massive Paycheck for ‘Terminator 2’

James Cameron Reveals His Massive Paycheck for ‘Terminator 2’ Image via Tri-Star Pictures By  Rahul Malhotra Published 4 minutes ago Rahul Malhotra is a Weekend News Writer for Collider. From Francois Ozon to David Fincher, he'll watch anything once.

He has been writing for Collider for over two years, and has covered everything from Marvel to the Oscars, and Marvel at the Oscars. He also writes obsessively about the box office, charting the many hits and misses that are released weekly, and how their commercial performance shapes public perception. In his time at Collider, he has also helped drive diversity by writing stories about the multiple Indian film industries, with a goal to introduce audiences to a whole new world of cinema. 

Swing and a miss > measured victory. Also, #JusticeForHan. (He/Him). Sign in to your Collider account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Director James Cameron said that he felt that his career was over after he was fired from his first movie, but when he was given the opportunity to direct The Terminator for a whopping budget of more than $4 million, he grabbed it with both hands. In an hour-long interview with Vanity Fair, the filmmaker looked back on his storied career and recalled why he agreed to direct Terminator 2: Judgment Day even though he was initially reluctant to do so. He said that the property switched hands, and the new producers made him an offer that he simply couldn't refuse.

While revealing how much he was offered to direct the sequel, which is now considered one of the greatest ever, he also recalled the conversation he had with star Linda Hamilton about possibly returning to the franchise. Hamilton was pregnant at the time, and agreed to come back on one condition. Cameron also underlined what he feels the movie is really about: a collective loss of humanity that is a bigger danger than any machine or artificial intelligence could ever be. In his own words:

“I get a call from the guys at Carolco, who’ve bought the rights, and they said, ‘Do you want to make the film?’ And I said, ‘I don’t know…’. They said, ‘We’ll give you $6 million’. And I said, ‘You have my attention’. I said I really want Linda in the film, and I approached her because I needed to know if she was in or out before I wrote the script. I went to meet Linda. She was pregnant at the time, and she said, ‘I want one thing: I want to be crazy’.”

James Cameron's Last Brush With the Terminator Franchise Ended Poorly

Cameron's relationship with the Terminator franchise has been complicated. He was the one who endorsed the casting of Sam Worthington in McG's Terminator Salvation, and he eventually gave his blessing to Alan Taylor's Terminator: Genisys. When both those movies failed to resonate with fans and underperformed at the box office, he declared that he would be returning to the franchise as a producer and co-writer with Tim Miller's Terminator: Dark Fate. The movie turned out to be the biggest bomb that the franchise had seen yet, grossing $260 million worldwide against a budget reported to be as high as $196 million. The famously combative Cameron also reportedly clashed with Miller creatively, and the franchise is now in limbo.

Terminator 2 remains the pinnacle of the franchise and is widely considered to be one of the best blockbusters of all time. Produced on a reported budget of $100 million, it made more than $500 million globally. Cameron is now gearing up for the release of Avatar: Fire and Ash in theaters next month. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Like Follow Followed R Action Thriller Science Fiction Release Date July 3, 1991 Runtime 137 minutes Director James Cameron Writers James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd, William Wisher Producers Gale Anne Hurd Prequel(s) Terminator Sequel(s) Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Terminator Salvation, Terminator Genisys, Terminator: Dark Fate Franchise(s) Terminator

Cast

See All

• Arnold Schwarzenegger The Terminator
• Linda Hamilton Sarah Connor

A cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her ten year old son John from an even more advanced and powerful cyborg.

Genres Action, Thriller, Science Fiction Powered by Expand Collapse

• Movie News
• James Cameron
• Linda Hamilton

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