13 Awesome Movies That Only Happened Because Of Awful Flops

13. The Terminator...Because James Cameron Worked On Piranha II: The Spawning

The Awesome Movie: James Cameron's classic low-budget sci-fi film which kick-started a hugely lucrative franchise and, of course, gave Arnold Schwarzenegger the most iconic role of his career. Over three decades later, its esteem endures as one of the greatest sci-fi movies ever made, even if it was totally outdone by its blockbuster sequel, the indelible Terminator 2: Judgment Day. How It Got Made: Cameron got his big break when he was hired as the special effects director for 1981's Piranha II: The Spawning, and when original director Miller Drake quit the film over creative differences, Cameron was offered the directing gig himself. Though Cameron was eventually fired as director, he stayed on to assist in shooting and, after a bout of food poisoning, had a nightmare about a killer robot coming after him, as would form the basis for The Terminator. As such, without working on Piranha II, Cameron would probably never have had that crucial bout of food poisoning and as such never been given the greatest idea of his career. While he doesn't tend to talk about Piranha II much, the circumstances had to unfold just as they did to ensure that Cameron came up with the Terminator premise. It's fascinating to consider where his career might otherwise be right now...