"Terminator" is 40 years old: how the cult action movie was filmed and who could have played the main role instead of Arnold Schwarzenegger

40 years ago, the cult action movie Terminator premiered and won the hearts of millions of viewers around the world. The original screenplay by Canadian director James Cameron not only made a splash in the film industry, but also changed the science fiction genre.

However, few people know that one of the most famous films today was originally a low-budget film, and that Arnold Schwarzenegger was not chosen to play the role of the recognizable cyborg killer. Suspilne Culture explained how the idea of creating an action movie that has long been included in the ranking of the best films came about.

Creating the image of the Terminator

In those years, James Cameron was an almost unknown director who created low-budget projects. During the filming process of Piranha 2: Spawn, the cultural figure became very ill, and it was then that he had the idea to develop a character like the Terminator. Interestingly, the Canadian had a nightmare about the killer cyborg, and upon waking up from it, he immediately began to draw a sketch.

"In the first drawing, I depicted a metal skeleton cut in half at the waist, crawling across a tiled floor, using a large kitchen knife to pull itself forward. In the second drawing, the character threatens a woman who crawls away. "With the exception of the kitchen knife, these images were almost certainly the ending of Terminator," the director recalls.

Looking for funding

Since then, Cameron has been actively working on the script. He was eager to shoot the upcoming action movie on his own, despite the fact that his home was a car. After a long search for a partner, the Canadian finally managed to strike a deal with the film's future producer, Gail Anne Hurd. He was to sell her the full rights to the script for one dollar, provided he could direct the movie himself.

Since the partners had friends in several quite influential film companies, they began to actively use their connections. First, Orion Pictures agreed to become the distributor of the film, and then the president of Hemdale Film Corporation, John Daly, became interested in the idea.

Presentation and filming of the project

James Cameron was very serious about making The Terminator, so he wanted a presentation of his idea to help close the deal with a potential partner. The director asked his friend Lance Henriksen to come with him to a meeting with John Daly as a cyborg. The Canadian friend dressed up in a leather jacket, added a few fake cuts to his face and gold foil to his teeth, and entered the office, kicking the door in.

The short scene and the "lights" in Cameron's eyes struck a chord with Daly, so he agreed to finance the film with the help of HBO and Orion. As a result, the film's budget increased from $4 million to $6.5 million.

Filming of The Terminator began in March 1984 and lasted 12 weeks. The most advanced special effects of the time were used.

Who was supposed to play the main role in the movie

Quite interesting is the fact that, according to the original plan, the role of the Terminator was to be played by American professional NFL football player and actor O.J. Simpson. This proposal was announced by one of the movie's producers, Mike Medavoy. According to his vision, Arnold Schwarzenegger was to play the role of Kyle Reese.

At the time, Cameron was not very enthusiastic about the idea and decided to meet with the artist in person. During the conversation, Schwarzenegger expressed his sincere admiration for the script, and the director saw in it all the necessary qualities for the "perfect Terminator".

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