Why Ridley Scott Said No to Directing ‘Terminator 3’: “I Can’t Be Bought”
Ridley Scott has revealed why he turned down the chance to direct Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, even when offered $20 million.
In an interview with The Guardian, Scott explained his decision, saying, “I’m proud about this. I turned down a $20M fee. See, I can’t be bought, dude.”
The 2003 movie, which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, was eventually directed by Jonathan Mostow. Scott admitted that he had looked into Schwarzenegger’s salary before making his decision.
“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,’” Scott recalled.
Even knowing he could earn as much as Schwarzenegger, he said he still couldn’t take the job. “It’s not my thing. It’s like doing a [James] 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*c* it up,” he added.
Terminator 3 follows John Connor, played by Nick Stahl, as he faces a new female Terminator while the T-850 unit, portrayed by Schwarzenegger, returns to help him in the fight. The film performed well at the box office, earning over $433 million worldwide.
It made $150.4 million in the U.S. and Canada and $283 million in other regions, ranking as the seventh-highest-grossing movie of 2003.
Critically, the movie received mixed but generally positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 70 percent approval rating with an average score of 6.5 out of 10. The site’s consensus reads: “Although T3 never reaches the heights of the second movie, it is a welcome addition to the Terminator franchise.”
The film received nominations at the Teen Choice Awards for Arnold Schwarzenegger and at the MTV Movie Awards for Best Action Sequence. Its score by Marco Beltrami also earned recognition from the ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards.
The franchise continued with Terminator Salvation in 2009, set in a post-apocalyptic future, but it did not succeed as expected. This was followed by the 2015 reboot Terminator Genisys, which also underperformed at the box office.
Scott’s choice shows he prioritizes creative fit over money, even with huge offers on the table. While Terminator 3 was financially successful, it’s interesting to think about how different it might have been under his direction. Do you think Ridley Scott would have made a better Terminator 3? Share your thoughts in the comments.