Trivia for
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) More at IMDbPro »

• Its $170 million budget is the highest approved budget to date (other movies cost more, but had smaller "approved" budgets).
  
  
• After viewing initial dailies, the director, Jonathan Mostow deemed Sophia Bush too young to play hero John Connor's love interest, and replaced her with Claire Danes at the last minute. Danes started filming immediately and basically learned about her character on the job. Danes later said this may have helped her performance, as Kate Brewster's character was similarly thrust into a strange new reality with no warning.
  
  
• Claire Forlani auditioned for the part of Kate Brewster.
  
  
• The role of John Connor came down to Shane West and Nick Stahl. Stahl was cast but almost had to drop out because of scheduling conflicts. West was told that if Stahl were to drop out then he was be cast in the film but in the end, Stahl's schedule was changed and he kept the role of John Connor.
  
  
• A number of actors were supposedly in the running for the role of the T-X, including Vin Diesel, Shaquille O'Neal, Famke Janssen, and former WWF wrestler Chyna (Joanie Laurer). Laurer's name came into the mix when she was recommended for the part by Arnold Schwarzenegger himself during an interview prior to filming.
  
  
• The T-X was originally called the T-1G. At one point The T-X was going to be a male Terminator.
  
  
• The secret production name for the movie was originally "York Square".
  
  
• Aside from creating the characters, James Cameron had nothing to do with this film.
  
  
• Ang Lee was offered to direct the film, but turned it down to direct Hulk (2003) instead.
  
  
• The original tagline of "The War Begins 2003" was removed from all promotional material due to the political climate of the time, and the war in Iraq. The line was changed to simply "Coming Soon".
  
  
• Toyota Motor Corporation provided seven Toyota Tundra trucks to be destroyed in the movie. Toyota will also be selling a limited edition of Toyota Tundra T3 trucks.
  
  
• Arnold Schwarzenegger put up $1.4 million of his salary to ensure that a key scene where a construction crane smashes into a glass building was shot. Director Jonathan Mostow, was apparently worried that the film was going to run behind schedule and over budget.
  
  
• In an early draft of the script, Lance Henriksen was to reprise the role of Detective Vukovich (from The Terminator (1984)), having the character bound to a wheelchair following the events of the first Terminator. The idea was eventually dropped.
  
  
• Kristanna Loken put on 15 pounds of muscle to fit her role of the T-X. She also took a mime class to prepare for her part. Because her character has so few lines, she had to learn to communicate through facial expressions and body gestures.
  
  
• Besides Arnold Schwarzenegger, the only other actor to appear in all three Terminator movies is Earl Boen who always played the character of Dr. Silberman.
  
  
• Arnold Schwarzenegger's signature line "I'll be back" is not uttered in this film. Instead, he says two paraphrases: "She'll be back" and, later, "I'm back."
  
  
• The famous line "Get out!" is said in all three films. In this film there is also a variation when the Terminator steals the policeman's motorcycle, "Get off!".
  
  
• For filming the TX arriving scene Kristanna Loken spent one night naked. During the filming a glass piece stuck under her leg due to walking barefoot on the street.
  
  
• T-X's breast inflation scene took several takes because the air bladders underneath Kristanna Loken's bra made by the effects team didn't work properly. Sometimes one of the bladders popped or one would fizzle out.
  
  
• Various versions of the Terminator's final line were tested, including "Eat me!" The filmmakers finally settled on "You are terminated!", which also happened to be Sarah Connor's final line to her assailant in The Terminator (1984).
  
  
• A shot of the Terminator getting on a motorcycle and then swerving to the right as he takes off is seen from the same angle in all three movies.
  
  
• Unlike the first two Terminator movies, the line, "Come with me if you want to live," is not used in this film. However, a variation of it is given when John says to Kate, "Do you wanna live? Come on!"
  
  
• Ben Curtis (aka "the Dell Dude") auditioned for the role of John Connor.
  
  
• Billy D. Lucas, a personal stuntman for Arnold Schwarzenegger, can be seen as the angry guy yelling at John Connor after John smashes into his car.
  
  
• The exact date of Judgment Day is 24 July 2004 at 6:18 PM, according to both the Terminator and the watch he examines in the beginning of the film.
  
  
• Arnold Schwarzenegger's last starring role (but not his last acting role) before being elected governor of California on 7 October 2003.
  
  
• Carrie-Anne Moss, Peta Wilson, Jeri Ryan and Lucia Rijker were also considered for the role of T-X.
  
  
• The first week of photography was the scene where the Terminator crashes the truck on the T-X at the exterior of the vet clinic. The last day of photography was the scene where the T-X appeared from the time portal.
  
  
• When the T-X's weapon is damaged, her on screen display chooses a new weapon. The display shows the name of the weapon and a description, but if you look closely the description for all of the weapons simply states: "Important information about this weapon is being displayed here".
  
  
• According to the Terminator's computer display, he fires 760 rounds of ammunition during the cemetery scene.
  
  
• During the cemetery scene, as the Terminator's computer display is counting rounds fired and casualties, names are scrolled on the screen. Many of these names are members of the Visual Effects department (Enid, Keiko, James, Rod, Mark, Bryan, and more)
  
  
• During filming of the scene where Scott Mason/Petersen morphs into the T-X, both actors were filmed performing the same motions and blended to create the effect. When filming, Mark Famiglietti, who plays Scott, had to wear large platform shoes because Kristanna Loken is significantly taller than he is.
  
  
• When the Terminator is rebooting after destroying the Jeep Cherokee, among other things loaded is a "Quicktime Video Codec".
  
  
• Two of the air bases Skynet is shown taking control of are "Moron Airfield" and "Batman Air Base". These are actual military locations. Moron (pronounced More-own) Air Base is located in Spain, and Batman Air Base is in Turkey.
  
  
• In the third act, The Terminator reboots himself, to rid his system from corruption caused by the T-X. As he does, we can see, in his first-person "Terminator Vision", many items scroll by. These include: "Remote Access", "Sound", "Memory", "Software Update", "QuickTime Player", "Control Strip", "Date and Time", "Multiple Users", "Keychain Access", "Location Manager", "Energy Saver", "Add Application Program", and also "MP3.com". All of these items (with the exception of "MP3.com") are easily recognized components of Apple Macintosh operating systems, most likely Mac OS 9. (See also trivia for The Terminator (1984), in which "Terminator Vision" incorporated assembly code for the MOS 6502 microprocessor, the CPU for the then-current Apple II computer.)
  
  
• An early draft had a completely different storyline from the film, in which John Connor is a successful computer programmer, who ends up being instrumental in the activation of Skynet. Sarah Connor is also featured in the film. The evil Terminator is a shapeshifter, but also can take on a gaseous energy form.
  
  
• The scene in the hangar with dozens of T-1 robots was realized via digital matte painting. Only three full-scale T-1 robots were built for the film.
  
  
• Digital stunt doubles were used extensively in the movie, largely in car chase scenes in the cemetery and with the crane.
  
  
• During rehearsals two weeks prior to shooting the crane chase scene, the crane was involved in an accident and was heavily damaged. It was impossible to acquire a new crane, at a cost $1.5 million, so repair crews worked around the clock to have it repaired on time for the shooting.
  
  
• Tedi Sarafian wrote a script for the movie, but since his ideas would have resulted in the movie costing more than $200 million (a scene featured a Boeing crashing in downtown LA and exploding half of the city) his script was refused. Some of his ideas were used, though, (the evil Terminator is a woman, Sarah Connor doesn't appear), so he earned a "story" credit.
  
  
• When the Terminator is choosing items at the convenience store, he grabs a Manner Schnitten, which is an Austrian sugar wafer. It's the pink package he grabs as he turns a corner.
  
  
• The hook on the crane was, in some shots, a digital one.
  
  
• It took six months to edit the car chase sequence.
  
  
• The car chase, at the cemetery, was a collaboration between the 1st unit and the 2nd unit. The TX on the roof of the car was all digital.
  
  
• The scene in the back of the truck, between John and Kate, was shot on four separate days over several months.
  
  
• According to an interview with Andrew G. Vajna, Ridley Scott was asked to direct the film, but he had already committed to Black Hawk Down (2001).
  
  
• When the T-X's primary weapon is damaged the alternative weapons listed are, in order: P31 Caustic Shells x231 HDE-Predator (333b) Finite Rapid Cluster Gun .45mm Cascader Nano-Disruptor (.222mm) SUBauro Neutralizer (.444) IAD-CHemTech
  
  
• The studios had long wanted to make a sequel to the previous Terminator films, but for a long time Arnold Schwarzenegger refused to do it unless James Cameron was directing. Cameron eventually told his friend to "Just do it and ask for a shit-load of money", reasoning that the character was as much Schwarzenegger's as it was his.
  
  
• John quotes his mother in the cemetery as calling every day after 29 August 1997 a "gift". The quote is a near-exact copy of what Sarah Connor says in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)'s original, "happy" ending available on most of its DVD editions.
  
  
• Among the weapons the T-800 takes from the weapons cache in the cemetery are the Glock 18 pistol with full/semi modes as well as the Heckler and Koch G-36 and UMP45 designs.
  
  
• The "Rich Woman" attacked by the naked TX was planned to have attempted to use an ATM that wouldn't respond, but there wasn't time to film it. If this scene had been included, it would have been one of several indications (Kate's cell phone, the lack of TV reception at the AM/PM) that the computer virus is taking over.
  
  
• Kristanna Loken speaks all of her dialogue in the first 25 minutes of the film. The T-X's only other dialogue comes when she is impersonating Scott Mason, these lines are spoken by Mark Famiglietti.
  
  
• Near the end of the film, the computer console displays "Blue 478" and John says "Dakota 775". The code numbers actually refer to the Intel Pentium 4's socket design with second generation of P4 processors using Socket 478 and the later one using LGA 775 socket. Another reference is the particle accelerator control room, designated "P4".
  
  
• The storyboards for the Judgement Day scenes near the end of the film were much more graphic than what was seen in the film, and included images such as the Statue of Liberty melting, the Hollywood sign going up in flames and even Dr. Silberman being incinerated by a nuclear blast. However, the VFX team were told that it was "too soon after 9/11" to show such graphic destruction, and that only a single nuclear explosion should be seen, and that it should actually be of relatively poor quality compared to what was seen in the second film.
  
  
• The "Sgt. Candy" scene, which was included in early prints of the film, explains why all the Terminators look like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold's character has a Southern US accent. When one of the scientists questions it, another scientist replies (in an Arnold voice over), "We can fix it." The actor portraying this scientist is Jack Noseworthy. This scene is available as a special feature on the DVD version.
  
  
• The date of the 'original' "Judgement Day" that they were trying to prevent was 29 August 1997.
  
  
• The lever that John Conner uses to power up the particle accelerator is the throttle control from a Saitek X45 PC Joystick system, painted red instead of blue.
  
  
• The airtime for the 30-second TV spot during the Superbowl cost $2.1 million.
  
  
• For advertising purposes the Indian Motorcycle Co. donated eight "Chief" model motorcycles outfitted as California Highway Patrol bikes for use in the film, one of which was completely destroyed on purpose when crushed by a truck during a chase scene.
  
  
• Linda Hamilton was initially approached to reprise her role as Sarah Connor but turned it down. A line in the movie instead has John Conner saying that Sarah died of leukemia in 1997.
  
  
• Was originally slated to be shot in Vancouver, BC, Canada, but was relocated at the last minute to L.A. It was speculated that the reason for the move was due to rising criticisms against American productions being shot in Canada ("runaway productions") and Arnold Schwarzenegger's political aspirations, although the official reason is that L.A. studio space became available at the last minute to accommodate the production.
  
  
• The character of Kate Brewster's fiancé was originally named Scott Petersen. Due to the name's similarity to Scott Peterson (a California man convicted of murdering his pregnant wife and their unborn child in late 2002 while out fishing) and the plot of his fiancée's kidnapping, the character's name was changed to Scott Mason, although he's still listed as Scott Petersen in the credits.
  
  
• In all three Terminator films the Terminator's definition of "being back" means entering a building by driving a vehicle through it: In The Terminator (1984) he drives a car into a police station after saying "I'll be back." In Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) he drives a SWAT van into the Cyberdyne Building after saying "I'll be back." In this film he flies a helicopter into an airplane hangar, steps out and proclaims, "I'm back!"
  
  
• Several of Arnold Schwarzenegger's female employees were cast as extras in the opening bar scene, where The Terminator first arrives in search of clothing.
  
  
• Stan Winston and his team constructed flawless, life-size, fully-operational robotic replicas of Arnold Schwarzenegger and co-star Kristanna Loken because certain sequences involving fire and explosions were too dangerous for them to perform.
  
  
• Arnold Schwarzenegger suffered a minor hand injury during the filming of the cemetery battle scene. One of the small explosives on the casket exterior, used to simulate a bullet hit, was planted too close to his hand.
  
  
• Ridley Scott and John McTiernan were considered for the director's job after James Cameron turned down the offer, saying that he had told the story completely after Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991).
  
  
• A cut scene explains why all Terminators looked like Arnold Schwarzenegger. A character named Sgt. Candy (played by Schwarzenegger) explains in an army promotion video that he was chosen to be the model of the Terminator project.
  
  
• Arnold Schwarzenegger worked out for six months, about three hours a day, before shooting started, by which time he had the exact same body weight and muscle measurements as he had 12 years previously while shooting Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991).
  
  
• Artisan Entertainment,which had the rights to the Terminator series, was at the time owned by the same company that owned Indian Motorcycles, hence the product placement.
  
  
• After the T-X has damaged her primary weapon, a first-person view shows her going through different weapon choices. On the right side of the screen one of the weapons is named "Rumsfeld P81 Cauterizer". This is a poke at President George W. Bush's Secretary of Defense at the time, Donald Rumsfeld.
  
  
• When shooting the cemetery scene where the Terminator shoots at the SWAT team, it was impossible to wield the machine-gun with one hand. A Steadicam harness was attached to the side of Arnold Schwarzenegger to enable him to hold the gun with one hand. The harness was erased digitally in post-production.
  
  
• The gas station where The Terminator stops for refueling is the same gas station seen in all three Terminator movies. In the first movie it was shown at the end where a pregnant Sarah stops before driving to the Mojave Desert. In the second film it's also the same place used where Sarah camps in for the night after she escapes from the hospital.
  
  
• Chris Klein auditioned for the role of John Connor.
  
  
• The wrist watch worn by the Terminator is a Swiss Audemar Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph. Its titanium case resists magnetic fields making it the ideal choice in the event of any attempted rise of the machines.
  
  
• A scene was actually written and but was left out of the final film because it was incomplete. The scene would take place right after the Terminator says, "She'll be back." In the written scene, General Brewster noticed the Terminator resembling Sgt. Candy (as explained in the famous deleted Sgt. Candy scene) and asked whether he is Sgt. Candy. The Terminator said no, but remarked, "I was made here." (in CRS). The producers had to omit the scene due to an on set problem (an assistant director went missing that prevented Schwarzenegger from continuing that scene) not to mention with the film running behind schedule. Also, they feared that the audience will not get the idea of Sgt. Candy without this scene, and so they had to remove the earlier one.
  
  
• Production designer Jeff Mann admitted that surveillance monitors would probably not be located inside a particle accelerator room. But in order to have Kate and John see the T-X approaching on the monitor, they were put there anyway, hoping that the audience wouldn't care.
  
  
• The working title York Square was suggested by Jonathan Mostow. According to him, the name was after York Square classic movie theater in New Haven, Connecticut, where Mostow once worked as an usher.
  
  
• Following box office flops for Cutthroat Island and Showgirls, Carolco (owned by Mario Kassar and 'Andrew Vajna') went bankrupt at the end of 1995, and its assets / ancillary rights auctioned off to other companies. In 1997, Kassar and Vajna managed to restart their venture under their C2 Pictures banner. Half of the Terminator franchise rights was also part of the auction and they managed buy back the rights at $8 million. The other half of the rights was owned by 'Gale Ann Hurd', she sold her share at $7 million.
  
  
• This was intended to be the first of the two back-to-back Terminator movies developed by Mario Kassar and 'Andrew Vajna' back in 1999. It was to be originally written by Tedi Sarafian, while the second-half, codenamed Project Angel by Warner Bros (eventually became Terminator Salvation) was to be written by 'David C. Wilson' due for a 2003 release which is to take place immediately after the events of this film. Had there would be no script revisions, the film could have been released in 2001. After the film's release, actors work commitments, including Arnold Schwarzenegger's term as Governor of California prompted the Project Angel script to be rewritten again from scratch- including moving the time setting by writers John Brancato and 'Michael Ferris' under Jonathan Mostow's supervision. However, by 2006, Kassar and Vajna decided to end their business relationship and sold their rights to Victor Kubicek and 'Derek Anderson'. The original idea for the fourth film was ultimately scrapped.
  
  

• SPOILER: It took six months for the VFX pioneers to develop the method to simulate the final sequence, in which T-X's liquid exterior is magnetized to the point of peeling off, revealing her alloy endoskeleton.
  
  
• SPOILER: In each Terminator film the villainous character's death is greeted with the word "Terminated" in some way: - In The Terminator (1984) Sarah Connor says "You're terminated fucker" as she crushes the Terminator in the hydraulic press - In Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) John Connor asks "Is it dead?" (of the melted T1000) to which the Terminator replies "Terminated" - In Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) the Terminator says "You are Terminated!" as it destroys the TX.
  
  

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