Robert Englund is one of the distinguished actors and well-established directors in Hollywood. Englund has been in the movie business for decades, during which the actor has achieved tremendous success and built a potent reputation. The actor has worked in several fascinating and multigenre movies, and he undoubtedly ruled the horror genre films after gaining critical acclaim for his extraordinary work in the 1984 American supernatural slasher flick A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Since then, the veteran star has become part of big-budgeted thrilling films that have achieved iconic status. Despite being part of many award-winning, exciting movies, the 76-year-old actor once revealed that he regretted not being able to work with Arnold Schwarzenegger on his film Crusade, which never saw the light of day due to many reasons.
Robert Englund Says He Regrets Not Doing Crusade With Arnold Schwarzenegger
The celebrated actor Robert Englund has cemented his career in showbiz as one of the finest talents. The actor has been a prominent part of many intriguing television shows and movies that have propelled him to superstardom. Englund is best known for playing Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise film series, and his remarkable performance in the movie helped him earn many top-billed roles, which have become fan favorites over the years.
The Glendale native has worked with enough A-list actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger. He once revealed how he nearly starred in the Schwarzenegger-led film Crusade, which was rejected and never filmed. The Stay Hungry movie star wanted to work with the actor on the project, which was deemed too expensive.
In a candid interview, The Phantom of the Opera star claimed that he was looking to work with director Paul Verhoeven and Schwarzenegger on the film Crusade, saying,
“I had worked with Arnold Schwarzenegger back in the middle of the 70s. At the height of his stardom, he was supposed to do a movie called Crusade for Paul Verhoeven. Paul was also at the top of his game, and it was perhaps going to be the biggest movie ever made.”
The actor continued,
“My contract began with six months in Spain, and I was to play the balding monk that carries his weapons for him…I was really looking forward to that, six months in Spain with Arnold, doing a medieval project. But they never got the financing. It was just too expensive.”
Robert Englund expressed his regrets on the missed opportunity to work with Arnold Schwarzenegger on Crusade, which he called would have been the “biggest movie ever made.” Nevertheless, it was deemed too expensive and never saw the light of day.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Reveals How His Film Was Abandoned
Throughout the 80s and 90s, Arnold Schwarzenegger was at the pinnacle of his career, as his films at the period were grossing millions of dollars at the box office, making him one of the most in-demand actors. The actor once revealed that his movie Crusade was turned down because it was too pricey, as he shared,
“It was all written and ready to go, but then Paul (director, Paul Verhoeven) started going crazy. We had the final meeting with the studio, and we were all sitting at this boardroom table. They said, ‘So the budget is $100 million. That’s a lot of money. What kind of guarantees do you have that we will get it for 100, and it won’t go up to 130?'”
The actor recalled what the director told the studio,
“He says, ‘What do you mean, guarantees’?There’s no such thing as guarantees!” adding, “I kept kicking him under the table and trying to tell him to shut up while we’re ahead. But he just wouldn’t, and that was it. That was the end of that movie.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger was equally disappointed as Robert Englund since they both were passionate about this project. However, due to its $100 million budget, it was considered too pricey by the studio, and therefore the movie was rejected.
Source: Farout magazine
