The movie “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”, with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton and Edward Furlong
among its cast, it became a sci-fi classic. However, few know that director James Cameron originally planned a different ending, which closed the story of Sarah Connor and her son John for good.
‘Terminator 2’ had a different ending: it was
In the originally shot ending of the film we are introduced to an elderly Sarah Connor in a park, watching an adult John play with his daughter. Sarah points out that Judgment Day never happened and that humanity has run its normal course.
“August 29, 1997 has come and gone. Nothing much happened. Michael Jackson turned 40 years old. There was no Judgment Day. People went to work as they always do. He laughed, he complained, he watched TV, he made love. I wanted to run down the street, screaming, grab them all and say, “Every day from today is a gift.” Use it well.” Instead, I got drunk. It was thirty years ago. But the dark future that never came still exists for me. And it will always be there, like the traces of a dream”, Yannis’ mother can be heard saying in a thoughtful and hopeful tone.
It also turns out that John, in addition to being a father, is a United States Senator working to build a better society.
At one point, the scene shows a hug between Sarah and her granddaughter.
Videos from the scene can easily be found on the Internet.
Why did James Cameron change the ending of ‘Terminator 2’?
A curious fact is that this scene was going to be released in theaters. According to “Collider,” the decision to change it came just two days before the film’s distribution.
Two main reasons were instrumental in his change: the continuity of the franchise and the tone of the scene.
On the one hand, Mario Kassar, lead producer of the sequel, motivated by a desire to keep the possibility of future installments open, pushed James Cameron to reconsider an open ending.
Although the filmmaker initially refused, he eventually agreed to test the audience with both results. The result was overwhelming: the public preferred the less optimistic ending.
Additionally, there was the issue that the original ending didn’t match the dark tone of the rest of Terminator 2, which James Cameron himself admitted in a special recording for the film’s DVD release:
“Somehow, in a sense, the tone wasn’t connected to the rest of the film. There was a feeling, why tie it with a bow? If the future is changing, then the battle is something that must be continued,” commented the director.
Do you think ‘Terminator 2’ should have ended the way James Cameron originally wanted or that the change was the best decision for the film and its sequels? Write your opinion in the comments.
Source: univision
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
