20 Mind-Blowing Facts You Never Knew About The Terminator Franchise

5. Ang Lee Could Have Been T3's Director

With Arnold Schwarzenegger back in the fold, the next step was finding a director for Terminator 3. The clear first choice would have been James Cameron, but he turned the film down early, having felt he'd said everything he'd wanted to say with The Terminator and Judgement Day. Producers were then forced to look elsewhere, to some surprising and not so surprising places. First, the not so surprising: action directors Michael Bay and John McTiernan were both considered, and Ridley Scott was asked, but he had to decline, having already begun production on Black Hawk Down. Producers also made an offer to Ang Lee, strange considering up to that point he'd mainly been known for making quiet, contemplative dramas. Lee turned the offer down to make another arguably ill-fitting project - 2003's Hulk - but it didn't stop Paramount considering Lee again for Genisys.