Ridley Scott Reveals Why He Said No to ‘Terminator 3’ Despite $20 Million Offer

The Terminator franchise with Arnold Schwarzenegger is inarguably one of Hollywood’s biggest successes and cult classics. James Cameron directed the first two movie installments before being replaced by director Jonathan Mostow for Terminator 3.

In a recent interview with The Guardian, Alien director Ridley Scott revealed he was originally offered the opportunity to direct Terminator 3, but said no and turned down the same pay day as Schwarzenegger.

“I’m proud about this. I turned down a $20m fee. See, I can’t be bought, dude,” explained Scott.

“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*ck me.’ 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,” said Scott.

“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*ck it up.”

All in all, Scott turned down Terminator 3 because of artistic integrity. The third installment of the franchise didn’t do well among critics, claiming it reused old storyline details and didn’t keep up with the first two installments. The movie still made back its $187 million budget, having made $433 million at the box office.

By the time Terminator 3 was released in 2003, Scott had directed the black comedy drama starring Nicholas Cage and Sam Rockwell, Matchstick Men. In the two years before, he also directed Black Hawk Down and the cult classic horror movie Hannibal.

It appears Scott has no desire to try and direct a movie for the Terminator franchise. Instead, he’s focused on Gladiator 3 that’s already in the works, and reveals that he’s open to another Alien prequel, “yeah, if I get an idea, for sure.”

This story was originally reported by Men’s Journal on Aug 28, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men’s Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.