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James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger had an incredibly productive creative partnership that led to a deep friendship. The two made three iconic movies together (The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and True Lies), and many believe they could have worked together a lot more (with Cameron directing, and not just producing). I'll always insist that they should have made two or three more Terminator movies together, or a True Lies sequel. Or a World War II picture. Anything!
Given their bond, it would have made sense for Arnie to have a starring role in Cameron’s biggest franchise, Avatar. Regrettably, it wasn’t possible initially. The action star was in politics when the first movie came out. But he has had more time in recent years, so he could have been ready to work if Cameron ever needed him. Still, he always had one condition to join the franchise, a condition that the director appears to have fulfilled.
Schwarzenegger Said He'd Only Join the 'Avatar' Franchise if a Role Made Sense
Rumors about Arnold Schwarzenegger's involvement in the Avatar franchise have circulated for years. The most promising word from the grapevine came before the release of Avatar: The Way of Water, as reports suggested he had been cast as an evil human general. This led many to believe that he was taking over Stephen Lang’s role from Avatar as Colonel Miles Quaritch. However, the actor returned as Quaritch inside a new body.
The question thus continued to linger. Would a collaboration ever happen? Despite his great relationship with Cameron, the ‘80s and ‘90s action star (whenever asked) always insisted that he would only join the franchise if the casting made total sense. The actor reportedly visited the Avatar set numerous times, describing Cameron as "a tech genius and a film genius" on Arnold's Pump Club (per ScreenRant). This shows how deep their friendship goes.
Despite his absence from the franchise, Arnie has had a few notable Avatar highlights. My favorite one happened during the 2010 Golden Globe Awards when the actor, then the Governor of California, took the stage to introduce the movie. After struggling to pronounce the word "Avatar" due to his heavy Austrian accent, he proceeded to make fun of himself.
"Jim Cameron, you have done an extraordinary job. This movie has broken all the records... even though I still cannot pronounce the title properly. For me, it will always be 'Abadah."
Quite hilarious! Sign him up for a standard comedy special, Netflix! So are we never getting a collaboration? Well, the time is actually now.
Cameron Now Has a Perfect 'Avatar' Role for Schwarzenegger
Avatar: Fire and Ash had several flaws, but it had its highlights, too. One of them was the subtle introduction of "The Chairman," a shadowy figurehead in charge of the entire Resources Development Administration (RDA). In the movie, the character doesn’t appear on the screen. He is only mentioned briefly, introducing a new corporate layer that many never knew existed.
During an exchange between General Frances Ardmore (Edie Falco) and Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi). Ardmore sarcastically makes fun of Selfridge for his tendency to "call daddy" to solve disputes. Selfridge fires back, insisting that he is calling "The Chairman." Quite an interesting revelation that suggests The Chairman is likely to be the "big bad" for the next sequels. Because his face hasn’t been seen yet, anyone could play him.
James Cameron thus has the perfect opportunity to introduce Arnold Schwarzenegger into the franchise. Sure, he prefers action roles, but he is older now and would be wise to settle for a major role that requires him to talk more and punch less, kind of like what Sylvester Stallone does in Tulsa King. Arnie also prefers heroic roles, but he has played a villain effectively in a Cameron movie before. He was excellent in Terminator, so there’s little doubt he’d be excellent in Avatar 4, too.
'Avatar 4' Needs a Boost, and Schwarzenegger Just Might Be It
Avatar: Fire & Ash was the lowest-performing movie in the film series, making only $1.49 billion at the box office, yet the two previous installments had each made over $2 billion each, becoming some of the highest-grossing movies of all time. This proves that a jolt of electricity is required, something to renew fan interest. Could Schwarzenegger be just what’s needed to save the franchise and prevent a premature conclusion?
During a recent chat on The Empire Film Podcast, Cameron suggested that fans shouldn’t be too hyped up for Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 as they might take a while to be released. He noted that ideas are "floating out there," and that he and the studio were trying to figure out how to make the movies less expensive and time-consuming to produce. The goal is to make the next pictures "in half the time for two-thirds of the cost," adding that it may take "a year or so" to figure all that out.
It appears Disney is worried about the money aspect following Avatar 3’s performance, so Cameron would need to work some magic to bring the numbers up. Casting Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the best ways to do that. Sure, the actor is no longer a box office draw like he was in the ‘90s, but news of his involvement will drive excitement through the roof, given his history with the filmmaker. Add two or three more stars of the current generation, and you are guaranteed a hit. Now is definitely the time to do this, so let's hope that the celebrated filmmaker jumps on the opportunity.
