Ridley Scott recently defended his decision not to work on the 2003 sci-fi film Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.
In a Q&A with The Guardian, the Alien and Blade Runner director said he turned down a big paycheck to direct the third Terminator movie because he didn’t connect with the story.
I’m proud about this. I turned down a $20 million fee. See, I can’t be bought, dude.
Scott said
The 87-year-old recalled asking for the same salary as Arnold Schwarzenegger, who starred in the first two films directed by James Cameron. Things didn’t go as Scott hoped.
Someone said: ‘Ask what Arnie gets,’. I thought: ‘I’ll try it out.’ I said: ‘I want what Arnie gets.’ When they said yes, I thought: ‘F‑‑‑ me.’ I couldn’t do it. 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.
Scott explained, Ultimately, the English director said
Entertainment Weekly has asked Warner Bros., the studio behind Terminator 3, for a comment.
The movie was eventually directed by Jonathan Mostow, known for the submarine thriller U-571. Starring Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes, and Kristanna Loken, Rise of the Machines earned mixed reviews but made $433.4 million worldwide.
Scott has also talked about saying no to another major action sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, because his late brother, Tony Scott, directed the original.
They asked me to [direct] it, and I said, ‘I don’t want to follow my brother.
he told The Hollywood Reporter in November
Ridley explained that he and his brother — who also made Days of Thunder, True Romance, and Enemy of the State — had very different filmmaking styles.
Tony was always interested in today. A lot of my stuff is either historic, fantasy or science fiction. Tony didn’t like fantasy — things like Alien or Blade Runner or Legend.
he said
Over the past 20 years, Ridley Scott has directed movies like American Gangster, The Martian, Alien: Covenant, and Gladiator 2.
Source: EW
