The Terminator producer Gale Anne Hurd responded to a rumor about the legendary sci-fi franchise following O.J. Simpson's death.
Gale produced major blockbuster TV shows and movies, including the three earliest Terminator films, Armageddon, The Incredible Hulk, and the Walking Dead franchise.
In the wake of O.J. Simpson's death on Wednesday, rumors resurfaced that the former NFL football player was cast in the 1984 James Cameron-directed movie.
In 2019, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who starred as the time-traveling Terminator robot, told the Independent he wasn't initially the first choice for the role.
"It was actually O.J. Simpson that was the first cast, Terminator," Arnold said. "Then somehow [James Cameron] felt that he was not as believable for a killing machine. So then they hired me. That's really what happened."
Arnold even claimed that he owned concept artwork painted by the film's director that originally featured O.J. "on the painting that I have at home — it was painted by Jim Cameron," Arnold said. "Underneath my face is actually O.J. Simpson's face. It was already painted on it, with the leather jacket and the gun in the hand."
In a 2023 episode of Who's Talking to Chris Wallace?, James Cameron, who directed The Terminator and its sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day, suggested the O.J. casting decision never made it that far.
"Very early on, a highly placed person at one of the two studios that funded that film had a brilliant idea and called me up and said, 'Are you sitting down?' I said, 'Well, no, I'm not.' He said, 'Are you sitting? O.J. Simpson for the Terminator!' I said, 'I actually think that's a bad idea.' It didn't go anywhere. I think it's historically interesting."
In a Los Angeles Times interview, James revealed that it was Orion Pictures' executive Mike Medavoy who originally pitched O.J., but it was "rejected out of hand before it ever got any traction."
On April 11, Gale posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), "I realize that Arnold claims that O.J. Simpson was cast as The Terminator before we cast him. That is 100% NOT TRUE. And I should know."
"Jim and I never ever considered O.J. Not even for a nanosecond. #TheTerminator #OJSimpson"
O.J. was featured in movies in the '90s, such as The Naked Gun franchise, and other TV series and films. But despite what others may claim, he was "never ever considered" for Terminator, according to the franchise's producer.
