The British filmmaker Ridley Scott has confirmed long-standing rumors that he was once approached to direct ‘Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,’ but a $20 million paycheck wasn’t enough to persuade him to take on the job.
In a new Q&A with The Guardian published on Thursday, August 28, the 87-year-old filmmaker said he was offered the 2003 installment in the blockbuster franchise but ultimately turned it down.
Scott stated, “I’m proud about this. I turned down a $20 million fee. See, I can’t be bought, dude.” Curious about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s salary for his return, Scott recalled, “I said, ‘I want what Arnie gets.’ When they said yes, I thought: ‘F— me.’”
Even so, Scott explained that the film simply didn’t fit his style. “It’s not my thing. It’s like doing a Bond movie. The essence of a Bond movie is fun and camp. Terminator is pure comic strip. I would try to make it real. That’s why they’ve never asked me to do a Bond movie, because I could f— it up.”
Released in 2003, ‘Terminator 3’ was the first film in the franchise to be made without creator James Cameron. Along with Scott, Roland Emmerich and David Fincher were also reportedly considered before Jonathan Mostow was chosen to direct.
According to the Daily Mail, at the time, Scott was focused on ‘Black Hawk Down’ (2001), which went on to win two Academy Awards. Since then, the director has continued to expand franchises he helped establish, including ‘Alien’ with ‘Prometheus’ (2012) and ‘Alien: Covenant’ (2017), as well as executive producing ‘Blade Runner 2049’ (2017).
Moreover, his long-awaited ‘Gladiator II’ was released this year, and he has confirmed that a third installment is already “in process.” Scott’s next project, ‘The Dog Stars,’ starring Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, and Margaret Qualley, is set for release on March 27, 2026.
