Brent sent over the following article.
Cameron Terminates "T3" by Josh Grossberg Jul 12, 1996, 12:30 PM PT
Hasta la vista, James Cameron--it was nice knowin' ya. To the dismay of Terminator die-hards, the Titanic helmer has confirmed he will not be climbing aboard to direct Arnold Schwarzenegger in the third installment of the hugely popular sci-fi franchise.
According to Hollywood trade reports, Cameron, who wrote and directed the first two Terminators, passed on the behind-the-camera chores for a simple reason: He can't stand his former producing partners Mario Kassar and Andy Vajna. The pair, who produced the first two Terminator films and another Schwarzenegger megahit Total Recall, won sequel rights to the franchise after their company Carolco went belly-up a few years ago. Even though Kassar and Vajna recently signed up Schwarzenegger for one more round, there was never a guarantee they could get Cameron aboard. They hadn't even met with the director since negotiations collapsed a few years ago.
"I don't think [Cameron] has talked to Mario or Andy about this in over a year," longtime associate Rae Sanchini tells Daily Variety. Despite Schwarzenegger's return to the franchise, Sanchini says, directing a sequel was never even a real consideration for the Oscar-winning Cameron.
"[Schwarzenegger and Cameron] are fabulous friends," adds Sanchini.
"And yes, they love working together, but no, he won't be directing the movie." (Cameron and Schwarzenegger, however, are said to be hashing out plans for a True Lies sequel that they'd do together.)
No comment today from Schwarzenegger, but we're betting he's not too thrilled about Cameron's exit. Last month, when Arnold confirmed he would be back again as the killer android, he told Access Hollywood, "My big wish is that Jim Cameron and I will work together again."
In any case, Schwarzenegger does have final approval over who will direct the sequel. Among the possibles: Gladiator director Ridley Scott, Fight Club director David Fincher, Independence Day helmer Roland Emmerich and Christian Duguay, director of the Joan of Arc TV miniseries.
As for T3's plot, the Hollywood Reporter says writer Tedi Sarafian has Schwarzenegger battling a next-generation female terminator. T3 is slated to start production in spring 2001.