Few Hollywood duos are as iconic as Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Cameron. The two have had quite the journey together; creating some of the biggest movies in their careers over the course of a decade. Starting in 1984, they made one of the most iconic action films of all time, The Terminator.
Arnold Schwarzenegger as Terminator in the film series The Terminator | Credit: Carolco Pictures
Soon after, they made the much-anticipated 1991 sequel to the film Terminator 2: Judgment Day. In 1994, they collaborated once more in their cult-classic film, True Lies. With how much success they have seen together, one cannot help but wonder if they could have done more work together.
However, it would seem that they almost got the opportunity to collaborate again in one of Hollywood’s most iconic franchises, Planet of the Apes.
Arnold Schwarzenegger to the Rescue
The 80’s and 90’s were the peak of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s career. He was everywhere and starred in every possible film. Although his specialty was in action, he also explored genres like comedy and even the occasional thriller or superhero film. With this, it was not surprising when he was called in to save a dying franchise.
Arnold Schwarzenegger as Terminator | Credit: Orion Pictures
Although the Planet of the Apes franchise is one of the most successful ones today, being worth over $2 billion (via Box-Office Mojo), this wasn’t always the case. 1973’s Battle for the Planet of the Apes was the last entry in the franchise at the time, and it had been quite a disappointment for fans of the franchise. With this, Hollywood decided to give the franchise another shot in the 90s. Instead of making a reboot, they were looking to make a sequel of the same, this time with Schwarzenegger at the very center of it.
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Entertainment Weekly reported at the time that Schwarzenegger is in talks to star in the sequel, making fans of the franchise more than a little excited. With this, one cannot help but wonder why the film never got to see the light of day.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Cameron Weren’t Enough
Despite a name as big as Arnold Schwarzenegger being attached to the project, the film ended up not happening as planned. The reason for this was that too many directors were coming and going from the project. Originally, Oliver Stone was supposed to head the project as its director, but he ended up walking away eventually.
A still from Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) | Credit: NBC
In the book Tales From Development Hell: The Greatest Movies Never Made, it was revealed that other big names like Sam Raimi, best known for the Spider-Man films, Chris Columbus, best known for the Home Alone films, and even Peter Jackson were considered for the position.
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It would seem that James Cameron was also brought into the pictures thanks to Schwarzenegger, who had collaborated with him more than once. However, the director was working on Titanic at the time. After that movie became the most successful film of all time, Cameron decided that he wanted to only work on films that he had written.
Screengrab for Planet of the Apes (1968) | Credit: NBC
Since the Planet of the Apes film was already written to a certain degree, the director opted out of being a part of it, leaving fans disappointed about their dreams of Schwarzenegger and Cameron collaborating again. Although the sequel never got made, a film starring Mark Wahlberg and directed by Tim Burton was released in 2001.
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