James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger released a sci-fi masterpiece in 1984 that would eventually set the stage for a long-running saga in the Hollywood industry. The film that catapulted the former Austrian bodybuilder to stardom didn’t inspire much confidence from some of his investors, but the ‘Avatar’ executive had full confidence in the project and co-wrote one with his writing team, which included Gale Ann Hurd Key sequence at the end of the work that gave rise to ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’, now considered the best volume in the series. Unexpectedly, and via Twitter, Hurd finally revealed the reason why the final scene that opened the door to the 1991 sequel was removed.
Apparently, and according to the screenwriter, producer John Daly didn’t trust Cameron’s project too much and made a somewhat specific request to the management team to implement this key scene, but was ultimately scrapped. The sequence in question showed Cyberdyne Systems scientists recovering the microchip from the T-800, which automatically meant that the war against the machines was still ongoing. “Hemdale Films, owned by Terminator investor John Daly, had a production deal with Orion Pictures, but they haven’t had success yet (that changed with our film and Platoon). They insisted that we use their friends as investors and not actors for this scene. “The scene that ruined everything for us,” the screenwriter commented.
#TheTerminator financier John Daly’s #HemdaleFilms had an output deal with #OrionPictures but hadn’t yet made a hit (that changed with our film and #Platoon). They insisted we use financier friends not actors in this scene, which ruined it for us. https://t.co/q5wl5why7N https://t.co/6sM2wUU1Cc
— Gale Anne Hurd (@GunnerGale) August 30, 2023
“You were paid as an actor. I think he insisted they be in the film because the investors were promised a return on their investment and hadn’t received it yet. Daly never thought the film would be a hit.” In the end, James Cameron eschewed this unconvincing scene shot without an actor and still managed to create his successful sequel by building the story differently. Luckily the first Terminator was round and it doesn’t miss a special scene. Cameron is currently preparing the script for a new Terminator movie.
