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Ridley Scott was offered the opportunity to direct the Terminator film, but even a $20 million check couldn’t tell him yes.
In a new Guardian Q&A issued on Thursday, August 28, 87, Scott, 87, confirmed rumors from two years ago that the 2003 entry is thought to lead to the rise of the Franchise, Terminator 3: Machine.
“I’m proud of this. I turned down a $20 million fee. Someone suggested asking what Arnold Schwarzenegger would be paid to re-enact his role as a T-800 robot.
“I’m going to give it a try,” Scott recalled. “I said: “I want what Ernie gets. When they said ‘Yes,’ I thought: ‘f — me’.”
Despite being surprised by Schwarzenegger’s payday, Scott says he can’t make a film yet.
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“It’s not about me,” the Gladiator film director said. “It’s like making a Bond movie. The essence of Bond movies is fun and camping. The Terminator is pure comic strip. I try to make it a reality. So they’ve never asked me to do a Bond movie.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was the first film in the franchise since the first film without Terminator 2: Judgment Date and creator James Cameron in 1991. Scott, Roland Emmerich and David Fincher are reportedly among those thought to replace Cameron with director. However, the job eventually went to Jonathan Mostow, whose credits include his breakup with Kurt Russell and U-571 with Matthew McConaughey.
Instead of making Terminator 3, Scott turned his attention to Black Hawk Down and stormed theatres in 2001, winning two Oscars for best film editing and best sound.
Scott is not opposed to making a sequel with a franchise he had his hands on establishing. He created two additional films in the Alien series, Prometheus (2012) and Alien: The Covenant (2017). Scott was the executive producer of Blade Runner’s sequel Blade Runner 2049 (2017). He also directed Gladiator II (2024).
The filmmaker told the Guardian that the third Gladiator film is “ongoing.” He would even make another alien prequel “if you’re certainly getting an idea.”
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Scott’s next film is Dog Star, based on the novel by Peter Heller. Jacob Elordi stars Josh Brolin as a pilot as a former Marine who faces off against invaders after the devastating flu virus wipes out humanity. Margaret Qualley, Guy Pearce and Benedict Wong are also stars. This film will be in theaters on March 27th, 2026.
