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After the triumph of James Cameron’sThe Terminator, both at the box office and with critics, it was time to start working on a sequel that would go on to become an even bigger success.Terminator 2: Judgment Dayis one of the coolest action flicks of all time that went on to redefine the sci-fi genre thanks to its gripping storyline, groundbreaking special effects, and jaw-dropping action sequences.
Of course, James Cameron returned to direct the sequel, but his involvement with the film did not come easy. The renowned filmmaker found himself in the middle of dispute with Hemdale Film Corporation, who had half the rights toThe Terminator.On the other hand, his ex-wife had the other half. This is where Arnold Schwarzenegger, the hero of the film, swooped in to save the day.
How James Cameron Got to DirectTerminator 2
The Terminator’s production company, Hemdale Film Corporation, had 50% of the rights to the franchise, and a sequel could not be made without his approval. According toAll The Right Movies, the company was looking to hireDie Hard’sJohn McTiernanas the sequel’s director. Clearly, things were not looking good for eitherTerminator 2orJames Cameron.
However, Arnold Schwarzenegger was aware that Hemdale was going through a bit of a financial crisis and saw this as an opportunity to get the rights back. He called up the owner of Carolco Pictures, Mario Kassar, and offered himTerminator 2.The production company was all in for the idea and was ready to go to any lengths to secure the rights.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator 2 Co-star Had to do One Unbelievable Training To Prepare Him For the Gun Shooting Scenes
Kassar then sat down with Hemdale’s co-founder, John Daly, and got straight down to business. In what might have been an attempt to scare Kassar off, Daly demanded a whopping ten million dollars for his half of the rights. Little did he know that Kassar would agree.
Terminator 2’s guardian angel then went on to deal with Cameron’s ex-wife, Gale Anne Hurd, who had the other half of the rights. She demanded $5 million for her share, and Kassar agreed.
All in all, Kassar put in a total of $16-17 million just to acquire the film’s rights, but it couldn’t be more worth it in the end.Terminator 2went on to make $515 million at thebox office.
Carolco then called up Cameron and asked him to direct the sequel for $6 million. As per theOral History ofTerminator 2,Cameron said,
to get that film made [The Terminator], I made this deal, to sell the rights. Whatever it took to get the film made, to get my foot in the door. And so I think it was justified. But then I didn’t control the rights.
I’d already made another couple films and forgotten about it, and I got a call from Carolco and they said, ‘We want you to make another Terminator film. We’ll pay you $6 million.’ I said, ‘You have my full attention.’
And that’s how Schwarzenegger’s attempt to bring Carolco into the picture ended up not only working in their favor but also got Cameron a huge paycheck of $6 million.
Carolco Pictures’ Mario Kassar Opened up about the Difficult Deal
Kassar sat down for an interview withDeadlinein 2016, where he was asked about the most“complex or imaginative deal”Carolco had done. While he stated that since every film they had made was financed independently, they were all a bit of a challenge.
“There was no Judgment day”: Terminator 2 Alternate Ending With Linda Hamilton Would Have Completely Changed Future Arnold Schwarzenegger Movies
However, the most difficult deal to go through was the deal forTerminator 2.Kassar went on to recall the story of how he brought the film’s rights from Hemdale.
He stated,
Arnold was ready to do it, Cameron was ready to do it, but half of the rights were with Hemdale and the other half were with his ex-wife. Nobody could put it together. So I had a meeting with Hemdale and asked if they would sell their half of the rights. John Daly looked at me and said, ‘Yeah, if you give me $10 million.’
He threw a number in the air to scare me off or find out whether I was joking, whatever. I was sitting there, with my lawyers and all my people and I told him, ‘OK, you have a deal.’ Of course, when he heard that, he got buyer’s remorse and starting thinking, ‘Shit, I could have got more.’
It was Hurd’s turn next. Kassar continued,
Now I needed to go get the other half. So Gale Anne Hurd’s agent asked for $5 million. I said, ‘F-ck, but OK.’ So I’m at $15 million now, but I have the rights. Then there was something else to resolve, and I had to go back for another million or something. So the rights ended up costing $16 or $17 million.
While the deal proved to be quite difficult on Carolco’s pockets, it’s safe to say that it paid off in the end. The sequel was an absolute hit with both critics and fans and ended up getting a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
You can streamTerminator 2: Judgment Dayon Paramount+.
Mishkaat Khan
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2256
A connoisseur of all things horror, fantasy, and the occasional chick flick, Mishkaat has been penning pieces for FandomWire since 2022. She started off as an intern and has worked her way up to a Senior Writer with over 2000 articles to her name.Outside of entertainment, she has also written well-researched medical content as a freelance writer and has experience in social media management.When not writing, you can find her relaxing with a romance novel and a tall glass of iced coffee in her hand or watching re-runs of ‘Supernatural’ and ‘The Office.’
