Ridley Scott Reveals He Turned Down $20 Million to Direct TERMINATOR 3

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Approximately seven years following Ridley Scott’s direction of Alien, James Cameron helmed the initial sequel with Aliens. As reported by The Guardian (via Deadline), around twenty years later, Ridley Scott was offered an opportunity to reciprocate and direct a continuation of Cameron’s Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. However, instead of accepting a $20 million compensation for directing Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Scott declined, citing his concern that he might ruin it by trying to make it too realistic. He expressed this sentiment as follows:

Seventeen years after Ridley Scott directed Alien, James Cameron made the first sequel, Aliens. According to an article in The Guardian (via Deadline), around twenty years later, Scott was given a chance to retaliate by directing a follow-up to Cameron’s Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, but he turned down a $20 million offer to take charge of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Despite the substantial pay, Scott declined because he felt that trying to make it too realistic might tarnish it. He articulated his viewpoint as follows:

I’m really proud of this decision I made – I passed on an offer worth $20 million. You see, money can’t influence me like that. Someone suggested I ask what Arnold Schwarzenegger earns. I thought, why not give it a shot? So I said, “I want what Arnold gets.” When they agreed, I was taken aback, but I couldn’t accept. It wasn’t my style. It felt like doing a Bond movie. The essence of a Bond film is its fun and campy nature. The Terminator franchise, however, is more like a comic strip. I would try to make it realistic, which is why they’ve never asked me to do a Bond movie because I might ruin it.

It’s intriguing that Scott finds the Terminator and T2 movies campy, given their reputation for gritty sci-fi by many, particularly the original film. While it’s true that T2 has some comedic and lighter moments, the first one is generally considered more serious. Yet, it should be noted that Scott recognized he wasn’t the best fit for the project. He didn’t make a film he lacked enthusiasm for simply for financial gain. One can’t help but ponder what a Ridley Scott third Terminator film could have offered, given that T3 in 2003 was essentially a repetition of Cameron’s second movie. Considering Scott’s style, we suspect his version would have been more captivating, if nothing else.

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2025-08-29 21:33