With five Terminator movies (The Terminator, 1984; Judgment Day, 1991; Rise of the Machines, 2003; Salvation, 2009; Genisys, 2015), one TV series (The Sarah Connor Chronicles), one novel (T2 trilogy) and a lot of comic books, Schwarzenegger’s “I’ll be back!” seems hauntingly true. The Terminator franchise doesn’t seem to run out of ideas. In fact, they have been sticking to the same idea for the past thirty years, and it’s been working just fine for them. I’m just curious to see what happens when they run out of Terminator. With the latest movie release doing pretty well in the box office, let’s look at some insane things about the Terminator series that you probably never heard or though about.
1. Not much of a talker
Arnold Schwarzenegger will remain known for being a man of a few words. And that is not an understatement. In fact, the first Terminator movie from 1984 introduced us to a quiet robot from the future who only had 18 lines to utter. That amounts to less than one hundred words! Bearing in mind Schwarzenegger cashed $750,000 for that movie, that means he received $7,500 per word. Not too shabby for a franchise debut.
2. O.J. Simpson was considered for playing the Terminator
Back in the 80s Mike Medavoy, the chief of Orion Pictures, thought of the Terminator as an athletic hero that could run and jump everywhere. So he set his heart on O.J. Simpson, casting Arnold Schwarzenegger as Kyle Reese, the human soldier from the future. In hindsight, this became one of the biggest ironies: James Cameron rejected Simpson because he seemed too nice.
3. The franchise cannot figure out time travel
It’s not worth hiding we were all left feeling very confused by each of the Terminator movies. Between Kyle Reese becoming John Connor’s father and stopping future killing devices by sending someone to deal with them in the past, you might get a slight headache while munching on your popcorn. The predestination paradox explains it all, but that’s not good news for the good guys: without Skynet, there wouldn’t have been a Kyle Reese going back in time, which would’ve meant John Connor never got born.
4. Linda Hamilton Suffered For Terminator 2
Hamilton not only worked out three hours a day for an entire year in order to look good on screen, but she was also able to perform her own stunts in the movie. She even received automatic weapons training from Uzi Gaz, who was an Israeli former commando. All went well until one day she forgot to wear earplugs for an elevator scene and she was deafened when shotguns begun firing. She suffered partial deafness in one year and shell shock. She never seemed to regret all the time she spent in the gym, biking, doing aerobics and learning judo. With a dark sense of humor, when asked whether she suffered any mental damage after filming, she replied that she had, but only from her marriage with the Terminator.
5. Terminator: Genisys sent Nike back in time
Costume designer Susan Matheson had a difficult job for Terminator: Genisys. She had to make sure Kyle Reese looked similar to Michael Biehn, which meant a full 80s outfit. And here’s where the plot thickens: Nike is no longer making the Vandals that appeared in the first Terminator movie. So they suggested Matheson to design a new pair based on their new Air Force Ones. The costume designer bluntly refused, arguing real fans will notice the difference and insisted Nike create the exact replicas. And, surprise, surprise, Nike did just that. The 80s replicas pulled Reese’s whole outfit together and didn’t disappoint Susan Matheson, who called the whole episode her greatest moment on the film.
