Did James Cameron Talk Schwarzenegger Out Of ‘Terminator 5’?

Remember back when Arnold Schwarzenegger had just left the governor’s office and was actively looking to reboot his acting career? Rumors swirled that the ‘Terminator’ star was more than willing to return to the franchise that helped put him on the map for a fifth installment. As it turns out, we might have to thank James Cameron for talking Schwarzenegger down from that ‘Terminator’ ledge.

In a revealing interview with MTV News, the ‘Titanic’ director (who also helmed the first two ‘Terminator’ films before handing over the reigns to a series of mediocre filmmakers) admits that he was “quietly advising” his old friend on the project, and that he told him he really should only continue with the series if the studio shifted the focus back onto Ah-nold’s robot, the T-800.

"I was trying to be as encouraging as possible. Frankly, at that time, I thought it needed to be more about him," Cameron said. "I told him he should not do it until it's focused on his character or he shouldn't do it. I think there are some great stories that can be told about that character that haven't even been thought of yet."

That’s true. But the older Schwarzenegger gets, the less likely it is that we’ll see the T-800 staring down a robotic nemesis in hopes of preventing an apocalyptic future.

Cameron since has moved on the ‘Avatar’ world of Pandora, and Schwarzenegger has multiple projects in the hopper, from an ‘Expendables’ sequel to ‘The Tomb’ with Sylvester Stallone. And plans for a ‘Terminator 5’ seemed to stall once ‘Fast Five’ director Justin Lin moved on from the project. But if you want to hear Cameron explain how he might have inadvertently pumped the brakes on a potential sequel, click the video below.