Ridley Scott Confirms He Turned Down $20 Million To Direct Terminator 3

Ridley Scott is known to be particular about the projects he chooses, and he recently confirmed turning down a $20 million payday to direct Terminator 3. Scott spoke with The Guardian for a recent interview and during the discussion he was asked about the longstanding rumor that he considered directing the third film in the sci-fi franchise.

“I’m proud about this,” Scott told the outlet. “I turned down a $20 million fee. See, I can’t be bought, dude. 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**k me.'”

He continued, “But 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**k it up.”

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machine was directed by Jonathan Mostow and starred Arnold Schwarzenegger in his iconic role alongside Nick Stahl as John Connor, Claire Danes, and Kristanna Lokenas the T-X model Terminator. Despite earning generally decent reviews, it was a financial disappointment with $433.4 million worldwide against a $167 budget.