Development in 2016
The Terminator (1984) had been a surprise hit, earning $78.4million against its $6.4million budget, confirming Arnold Schwarzenegger's status as a lead actor and establishing
James Cameron as a mainstream director. Schwarzenegger expressed interest in a sequel, saying, "I always felt we should continue the story... I told [Cameron] that right after we finished the first film". Cameron said Schwarzenegger had always been more enthusiastic about a sequel than he was, because Cameron considered the original a complete story. Discussions to make a sequel stalled until 1989, in part owing to Cameron's work on other films such as
Aliens (1986) and
The Abyss (1989), but also because of a dispute with rights holder
Hemdale Film Corporation. Hemdale co-founder John Daly, against Cameron's wishes, had attempted to alter the ending of
The Terminator, nearly resulting in a physical confrontation. A sequel could not be made without Hemdale's approval as Cameron had surrendered 50% of his rights to the company to get
The Terminator made. Cameron had also sold half of the remaining stake to his ex-wife
Gale Anne Hurd, producer and co-writer on the first film, for $1 following their 1989 divorce. By 1990, Hemdale was being sued by Cameron, Schwarzenegger, Hurd, and special-effects artist
Stan Winston for unpaid profits from
The Terminator. Schwarzenegger, aware Hemdale was experiencing financial difficulties, convinced
Carolco Pictures to purchase the film rights to
The Terminator, having worked with the independent film studio on the big-budget science fiction film
Total Recall (1990). Owner
Mario Kassar described the rights acquisition as the most difficult deal Carolco ever conducted. He accepted a $10million offer for Hemdale's share, considering it a sum fabricated to ward him off, and paid Hurd $5million for her share. Prior to development, the total cost of the acquisition rose to $17million after factoring in incidental costs. Kassar told Cameron that in order to recoup his investment, the film would proceed with or without him, and offered Cameron $6million to be involved and write the script. The film would become a collaboration between several production studios: Carolco,
Le Studio Canal+, Cameron's
Lightstorm Entertainment, and Hurd's
Pacific Western Productions. The studio also had an existing U.S. distribution deal with
TriStar Pictures, which stipulated that the film be ready for release by May 27, 1991,
Memorial Day.
Writing With a scheduled release date, Cameron had six to seven weeks to write the sequel. He approached his frequent collaborator and
The Terminator co-writer William Wisher in March 1990. They spent two weeks developing a
film treatment based on Cameron's vision to form a relationship between John Connor and the T-800, a concept Wisher believed was a joke. Their treatment diverged from the "science fiction
slasher" theme of the original, focusing on the unconventional family bond formed between Sarah, John, and the T-800. Cameron said this relationship is "the heart of the movie", comparing it to the
Tin Man receiving a heart in
The Wizard of Oz (1939). Cameron's concept featured Skynet and the resistance each sending a T-800—both played by Schwarzenegger—into the past, one to kill John and the other to protect him. Wisher believed a fight between two identical Terminators would be boring. The pair briefly considered a larger "Super-Terminator", but found it uninteresting and adopted an early idea Cameron had for
The Terminator—a liquid-metal Terminator resembling an average-sized human in contrast to Schwarzenegger's large frame. The first half of their concept concluded with the destruction of Skynet's T-800, forcing it to use the T-1000, its ultimate weapon. Although he once considered removing the T-1000 altogether, Cameron solidified it as the only antagonist. Cameron and Wisher had the T-1000 take on the appearance of a police officer, allowing it to operate with less suspicion. Wisher found it challenging to depict the T-800 as "good" without making it non-threatening at the same time. The pair decided to give it the ability to learn and develop emotions, becoming more human over time. They kept the T-800's dialogue brief, relying on the audience to infer a lot of meaning through "small bites". Its catchphrase, "
Hasta la vista, baby", was something Wisher and Cameron said after their telephone calls. Wisher developed the first half of the treatment at Cameron's home over the course of four weeks, while Cameron worked on the latter half. Many pages were removed, including a "convoluted" subplot about Dyson, and a massacre of a camp of survivalists helping Sarah. Cameron, who did not consider the budget while writing, had to cut some elaborate scenes, including a nine-minute opening that showed a time-travel machine being used in 2029. Wisher and Cameron also frequently conferred with special-effects studio
Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) to determine which ideas were achievable. Cameron and Wisher analyzed the first film to help envision each character's development and evolution. Cameron believed Sarah's knowledge of the future would isolate her, forcing her to associate with survivalists and become a self-sufficient commando. She was written to have become an emotionally cold and distant character comparable to a Terminator, especially when deciding to go after Dyson. Instead of the story beginning with Sarah, John is placed with a foster family to increase tension. John's character was inspired by the 1985
Sting song "
Russians", with Cameron recalling, "I remember sitting there once, high on
E... I was struck by [the lyrics] 'I hope the Russians love their children too'. And I thought... The idea of a nuclear war is just so antithetical to life itself'. That's where [John] came from". They spent three days refining the script before flying to
Cannes, where
Terminator 2 was announced in early May 1990. Schwarzenegger initially struggled with portions of the script, once asking "What is 'polyalloy'?" He also expressed concern about his character's non-lethal depiction, which conflicted with his action-hero persona and portrayal of the character in
The Terminator. Cameron explained he wanted to defy audience expectations. Schwarzenegger requested: "Just make me cool".
Casting Schwarzenegger became interested in reprising his role after finding the character more complex and sympathetic than in the previous film. To accurately portray a fearless and emotionless machine, he trained extensively with stunt coordinator Joel Kramer to remain unaffected by fire and explosions around him. Schwarzenegger earned $12–15million for his involvement. Carolco had been blamed for the increase in exorbitant salaries paid to actors, having paid Schwarzenegger around $11million for
Total Recall (1990). They justified the expense as the value of their leads' wide appeal in markets outside the U.S. To lessen the immediate financial burden, Carolco paid most of Schwarzenegger's salary with a financed $12.75million
Gulfstream III jet. Cameron refused to re-cast Hamilton's role but developed plans to work around her absence if she chose not to return. Negotiations were protracted but concluded promptly after Cameron informed Carolco the script could not be finished until he knew if Hamilton would be involved. Hamilton received roughly $1million, which she described as "quite a bit more" than her earnings for
The Terminator, but expressed disappointment at the pay disparity between her and Schwarzenegger. Hamilton requested that Sarah exhibit a "crazy" demeanor, explaining that after years of living with the impending doom of humanity, she believed Sarah would have transformed into an untamed entity, a warrior combined with a psychologically unstable woman. She continued: "[The T-800] is a better human than I am, and I'm a better Terminator than he is". Cameron considered giving the character a facial scar but determined that applying it daily would be difficult. Hamilton undertook extensive preparation for her role, working with a personal trainer for three hours a day, six days a week, and maintaining a strict low-fat diet, losing about of body weight. She also received judo and military training from former Israeli commando Uzi Gal. Between training, filming, and spending time with her infant son Dalton, Hamilton averaged only four hours of sleep per day. She described her experience as "sheer hell" but enjoyed showing off her new physique. Hamilton's twin sister, Leslie, was also cast in scenes where two versions of Sarah appear on-screen simultaneously. Patrick, who was 31 and living in his car, was one of several actors in their late 20s considered for the T-1000 role. Cameron wanted a lithe actor resembling a newly recruited police officer to contrast with Schwarzenegger. According to Cameron, "If the [T-800] series is a kind of human Panzer tank, then the [T-1000] series had to be a Porsche". Casting director
Mali Finn believed Patrick had the "intense presence" they wanted. Patrick auditioned by acting like an emotionless hunter and later participated in a screen test to judge the way lighting worked with his skin and eyes. For his character, he drew inspiration from Schwarzenegger's performance in
The Terminator and observed hunting creatures—reptiles, insects, cats, and sharks. Patrick's facial expressions were based on those of an eagle, keeping his head tilted down to imply constant forward movement. He also employed a mixture of military posture with martial arts to express a fluid motion that differed from the T-800's rigid movements. The role demanded that Patrick be lean and fast, requiring peak physical shape. He learned to sprint without displaying heavy breathing and exhaustion, and received specialized training from Gal. Weapons master Harry Lu taught Patrick to operate and reload weapons, such as the T-1000's
Beretta 92FS, without looking and eventually without blinking. Singer
Billy Idol was originally cast for the role before seriously injuring his leg in a motorcycle crash. In a 2021 retrospective, Cameron said Idol had an interesting aesthetic but in hindsight, he probably would not have cast him. Singer
Blackie Lawless of the rock band
W.A.S.P. was also considered but deemed too tall. Furlong, among hundreds of other prospects, secured the role of young John Connor at his last audition. Cameron believed that early candidates for the role were either overexposed in other media or came from advertisement backgrounds, which trained them to be happy and perky. Furlong had no acting experience and was discovered by Finn at the
Boys & Girls Club in
Pasadena. Cameron described Furlong as having a "surliness, an intelligence, just a question of pulling it out". He was required to take acting lessons, learn Spanish, and be able to ride a motorcycle and repair guns.
Charlie Korsmo stated that he was offered the role, but was contractually obligated to appear in
What About Bob? (1991). Joe Morton believed his casting as Miles Dyson had to do with Cameron wanting a minority character to be integral to the changing of the world. Morton avoided interacting with the cast so that their on-screen relationships would seem believably distant. The role of Dyson was reduced after the preferred casting choice,
Denzel Washington, declined it because the role mainly required him to act scared.
Filming spillway,
North Hills (pictured in 2018), from which the T-1000 crashes into the flood-control channel below The planned three months of pre-production was reduced to meet the release schedule, leaving Cameron without the time he wanted to prepare all aspects before filming began. Over a week, he spent several hours each day choreographing vehicle scenes with toy cars and trucks, filming the results, and printing the footage for storyboard artists. There was no time to properly test practical effects before filming, so if effects did not work, the filmmakers had to work around them.
Principal photography began on October 8–9, 1990, with a $60million budget. Scenes were filmed out of sequence to prioritize those requiring extensive visual effects. Schwarzenegger found this difficult because he was meant to convey subtle signs of the T-800's progressive humanity and was unsure what was fitting for each scene. Cinematographer
Adam Greenberg, who also worked on
The Terminator, described the greater scope of the sequel as the most daunting prospect. Where he had been able to shout instructions to his crew on the original film, he used one of 187
walkie-talkies to conduct efforts over an expansive area. The production was arduous, in part because of Cameron, who was known for his short temper and uncompromising "dictatorial" manner. The crew made T-shirts bearing the slogan "You can't scare me—I work for Jim Cameron". Schwarzenegger described him as a supportive but "demanding taskmaster" with a "fanaticism for physical and visual detail". Even so, by the 101st day of filming, Schwarzenegger and Hamilton were frustrated by the high number of takes Cameron performed, spending five days just on close-ups of Hamilton in the Dyson home. To stay on schedule, Cameron worked through Christmas and persuaded Schwarzenegger to cancel a visit to American troops in Saudi Arabia with U.S. President
George H. W. Bush to film his scenes. mill in
Fontana, California (), which served as the location of the film's ending The production was filmed in many locations in and around Los Angeles. The now-destroyed Corral bar in
Sylmar is where the T-800 confronts a group of bikers. Location manager
Jim Morris chose Corral because it was raised above ground, allowing the scene to take place over different levels. The
1991 police beating of Rodney King took place at the same location a week after filming, being captured on the same videotape a spectator used to capture the filming of the biker bar scenes. On one occasion, a woman who was oblivious to ongoing filming walked into the bar. When she asked Schwarzenegger, who was wearing only a pair of shorts, what was going on, he replied: "It's male stripper night". Executives suggested cutting the scene to save money but Cameron and Schwarzenegger refused. The T-1000's arrival in 1995 was filmed at the
Sixth Street Viaduct, and John's hacking of an ATM was filmed at a bank in
Van Nuys. His foster parents' residence is in the
Canoga Park neighborhood, deliberately chosen for its generic appearance. The Terminators' confrontation with John takes place inside
Santa Monica Place mall, although exterior shots were captured at
Northridge Fashion Center because there was less traffic. In the subsequent scene, Patrick's training allowed him to outrun John on his dirtbike, so the bike's maximum speed was increased. The T-1000 continues its pursuit using a truck, in a scene filmed at the
Bull Creek spillway. Other locations include the
Lake View Terrace hospital, standing in as Pescadero State Hospital and the
Petersen Automotive Museum was used as its garage. In a 2012 interview, Hamilton said she suffered permanent partial hearing loss after not wearing earplugs during the hospital elevator scene, where the T-800 fires a gun, as well as
shell shock from months of exposure to violence, loud noise, and gunfire.
Elysian Park serves as the site of Sarah's apocalyptic dream, and scenes at the Dyson home were captured at a private property in
Malibu. The Cyberdyne Building's destruction was filmed at an abandoned office in
San Jose, scheduled for demolition. To bring a heightened sense of authenticity, real members of the
Los Angeles Police Department's
SWAT division were featured in the scene, although Cameron embellished their tactics to be visually interesting. In a spontaneous decision during Morton's death scene, Cameron opted to detonate nearby glass to examine its visual impact. The final highway chase was filmed along the
Terminal Island Freeway near
Long Beach, of which a stretch was closed to traffic every night for two weeks. Scenes set during the future war of 2029 were filmed in the rubble of an abandoned steel mill in
Oxnard, California, in a space that was enhanced with burned bicycles and cars from a 1989 fire at the
Universal Studios Lot.
Terminator 2s ending was filmed in the closed
Kaiser Steel mill in
Fontana, which Greenberg made appear operational mainly through lighting techniques. Despite appearing to be actively smelting steel, the mill was frigid and dangerous because of the moving machinery and high catwalks. The T-800's thumbs-up during its death was added during filming (Hamilton considered it too sentimental). Six months of filming concluded on March 28, 1991, about three weeks behind schedule.
Post-production Terminator 2 was edited by
Conrad Buff IV,
Richard A. Harris, and
Mark Goldblatt, who said although there was more time to edit than on
The Terminator, it was still relatively small given the greater scope of the sequel. They described the complexity of scenes such as the final battle between the Terminators, which required a seamless combination of live-action, practical effect shots, and CGI. After having to rush editing at the end of
The Abyss, Cameron limited filming on
Terminator 2 to five days a week so he could help edit the film on weekends from the start of filming. Several scenes were deleted, in part to reduce its running time. These include Kyle Reese appearing to Sarah in a dream and encouraging her to continue fighting, Sarah being beaten in the hospital, the T-1000 killing John's dog (a scene the animal-loving Patrick was not a fan of), John teaching the T-800 to smile and discussing whether it fears death, the T-1000 malfunctioning after being frozen in the steel mill, and additional scenes with Dyson's family. Schwarzenegger unsuccessfully rallied to retain his favorite scene, in which John and Sarah modify the T-800's CPU, allowing it to learn and evolve, and Sarah attempts to destroy the CPU but John defends the T-800. The scene was replaced with dialogue indicating that the T-800 already possesses the ability to learn. The scripted ending depicted an alternative 2029 that was filmed at the
Los Angeles Arboretum in
Arcadia, in which an aged Sarah narrates how Skynet was never created while John, now a
US Senator, plays with his daughter in a Washington, D.C., playground. To make the film more evocative and memorable, Cameron changed this scene to one in which the characters look out at the road ahead. The production ran until about two days before the film's theatrical release. Delays were caused mainly by the
rendering of shots at
Consolidated Film Industries, the most difficult of which was the T-1000's death. Co-producer Stephanie Austin said the production crew worked 24-hour shifts and slept on site. The 137-minute-long
release print was delivered to theaters the night before its release. There were two private pre-release screenings: one for family, friends, and crew at
Skywalker Ranch, and another in Los Angeles for studio executives. Austin said, "People were stamping their feet and clapping for ten or fifteen minutes", at which point the crew knew they had succeeded. During test screenings the ending was well received, and was described as a "touching" favorite scene. The minimum estimated cost to produce
Terminator 2 had been $60million, dwarfing the budget of the first film. Cameron and Schwarzenegger said the final budget, excluding marketing, was about $70million, and the cost of making the film was about $51million. According to Carolco executives Peter Hoffman and Roger Smith, the film cost $75million before marketing, saying
Terminator 2 was only "modestly" over budget. Including marketing and other costs, the film's total budget is reported to have been between $94million and $102million. Kassar said he had secured 110% of the budget from advances and guarantees of $91million, including North American television ($7million) and home-video ($10million) rights, and $61million from theatrical, home-video and television rights outside the U.S. The distribution deal with TriStar Pictures earned it a set percentage of the budget—an estimated $4million. News sources labeled
Terminator 2 the most expensive independent film ever and predicted it would "bankrupt Carolco".
Special effects and design A 10-month schedule and about $15–$17million of
Terminator 2s budget was allocated just for special effects, including $5million for the T-1000 alone, and a further $1million for stunts, at the time one of the largest-ever stunt budgets. Four main companies were involved in creating the 150 visual effects. ILM special effects supervisor
Dennis Muren managed the
computer-generated imagery (CGI) effects,
Stan Winston Studio the prosthetics and animatronics. Fantasy II Film Effects developed miniatures and optical effects, and 4-Ward Productions was responsible for creating a nuclear explosion effect.
Pacific Data Images and Video Image provided additional visual effects, the former doing digital wire removal and the latter creating the "Termovision" POV. The cost and time involved in producing CGI meant that the effect was used sparingly, appearing in 42–43 shots, alongside 50–60 practical effects. Portraying the T-1000 was a risky endeavor, as CGI was in its infancy and there was no backup plan in place if the CGI did not work as intended or could not be composited effectively with Winston's practical effects. The computer systems needed to animate and render the T-1000 CGI cost thousands of dollars alone, but creating the character also relied on a variety of practical appliances, visual illusions, and filming techniques. A team of up to 35 at ILM was required for the five minutes of screen time the T-1000's effects appear, and the process was so complex that rendering 15 seconds of footage took up to ten days.
Music The Terminator composer
Brad Fiedel returned for the sequel, working in his garage in
Studio City, Los Angeles. Film industry professionals regarded his return with concern and skepticism as they believed his style would not suit the film. Fiedel quickly realized he would not receive the finished footage until late in the production after most effects were completed, which made it difficult to commit to decisions such as use of an orchestra because, unlike ambient music, the score had to accompany the on-screen action. Fiedel and Cameron wanted the musical tone to be "warmer" due to its focus on a nobler Terminator and young John. Fiedel experimented with sounds and shared them with Cameron for feedback. While
The Terminator score had mainly used
oscillators and
synthesizers, Fiedel recorded real instruments and modified their sounds. He developed a library of sounds for characters such as the T-1000, whose theme was created by sampling brass-instrument players warming up and improvising. Fiedel said to the players, "You're an insane asylum. You're a bedlam of instruments." He slowed down the resulting sample and lowered the pitch, describing it as "artificial intelligent monks chanting". Cameron considered the "atonal" sound "too avant-garde", to which Fiedel replied, "you're creating something that people have never seen before, and [the score] ought to sound like something people have never heard before to support that". Tri-Star asked Schwarzenegger to arrange a tie-in music video and theme song for the film. He chose to work with rock band
Guns N' Roses because they were popular and there was "a rose in the movie and bloody guns". The band offered the use of "
You Could Be Mine", the debut single from their album
Use Your Illusion II (1991). The music video, featuring Schwarzenegger as the T-800 pursuing the band, was directed by Stan Winston,
Andrew Morahan, and Jeffrey Abelson. Patrick unsuccessfully lobbied to use "
Head Like a Hole" by
Nine Inch Nails as the tie-in song, in part because his brother,
Richard Patrick, was their tour guitarist. Wisher suggested using "
Bad to the Bone" by
George Thorogood & the Destroyers as the T-800 puts on the biker clothes. Although Cameron did not like the idea, Wisher said he later found that Cameron had used the song but had forgotten it was his idea. "
Guitars, Cadillacs" by
Dwight Yoakam also features in
Terminator 2. ==Release==