With its flawless fusion of romance, humor, and action, True Lies won over the hearts of viewers when it was released in 1994. The dynamic on-screen chemistry between Jamie Lee Curtis and Arnold Schwarzenegger revolutionized the action film genre. Despite their riveting performances, it is possible that the endearing duo may not show up on the big screens again.
Regretfully, True Lies 2 has been stuck for decades due to some issues. After years of extensive research and a protracted production, a real-life tragedy pushed the idea of a sequel to the back burner. Schwarzenegger claimed that although there had been plans for a True Lies sequel since the early 2000s, they decided against it after “9/11 happened” because James Cameron’s film reportedly involved a terrorist attack scene.
Meanwhile, Curtis also once speculated that a sequel to True Lies could never be made because it was considered inappropriate to film terrorism on a big screen following the terrorist attacks in 2001.
Why Was Arnold Schwarzenegger & Jamie Lee Curtis’ True Lies 2 Shelved?
James Cameron‘s 1994 action comedy film starred Jamie Lee Curtis and Arnold Schwarzenegger as Helen and Harry Tasker, respectively. At a meeting with Cameron in April 1997, Tom Arnold and Schwarzenegger talked about the potential for a True Lies sequel. By March 2001, the script was completed, and it was declared that Curtis would be joining Schwarzenegger and Arnold.
However, Schwarzenegger told Cinema Confidential in January 2002, following the September 11 attacks:
“We’ll shoot it next year. We have a good script. There does need to be some changes because it deals with some terrorist act of some sort. But it’s pretty much done.”
In the aftermath of the September 11 attack, Cameron declared later in 2002 that the movie would not be produced (via Canoe.com).
“Terrorism is no longer something to take as lightly as we did in the first one. I just can’t see it happening given the current world climate.”
Later, Schwarzenegger said the following in June 2003, according to IGN, following the attacks:
“Cameron was worried because there’s an airplane scene – a terrific airplane scene – that didn’t have anything to do with the terrorism that we had in 9/11, but it was a great fight scene inside the plane while the plane goes down and this kind of thing… These things take a long time.”
There were no plans to make the movie, according to Curtis, via IBTimes in 2019, who reiterated her earlier remarks, saying:
“I don’t think we could ever do another True Lies after 9/11. [‘True Lies’] was pre-9/11 so I wouldn’t want to say we could make fun of terrorism, but we could make fun of terrorism because it was so outrageous, and, of course, we can’t ever make fun of them ever again.”
The main worry about a sequel, according to Curtis, Cameron, and even Schwarzenegger and Arnold, seems to be how Hollywood has been altered by real-life terrorism.
What Are The Thoughts of The Crew And Cast on True Lies 2?
The members of the True Lies cast and crew always have something to say about the possibility of a sequel, for whatever reason. The biggest apprehension about a sequel appears to be how real-life terrorism has altered Hollywood. In 2009, James Cameron told Vulture:
“Since September 11, I have never felt comfortable generating laughs with nuke-toting Islamic fundamentalist terrorists. True Lies,’ even though it has a cautionary thread underneath the pratfalls, is in a strange way a product of a more innocent time.”
But after a few years, Jamie Lee Curtis had a change of heart. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, she stated that she would be very interested in starting over with a sequel in 2022. “Dude, why are not we doing another movie?” she asked Arnold Schwarzenegger.
After taking home several accolades and $378 million worldwide, True Lies went on to become the third highest-grossing movie of 1994. In addition, the movie was nominated for seven Saturn Awards, a BAFTA for Best Visual Effects, and an Academy Award.
You can rent True Lies on Apple TV.
