With nostalgia proving to be one of the most profitable trends in hollywood, plenty of classic properties are being revived for new sequels or reboots. This includes the Terminator franchise, which will reunite Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, and James Cameron for its upcoming sixth sequel; the trio last worked together on Terminator 2: Judgement Day. T2 is largely considered the strongest entry in the entire franchise, which is likely why 2019's installment will be a direct sequel to that classic. Since it was announced, fans have been wondering if former child actor Edward Furlong could return as John Connor. And while we don't know how John's characterization will be handled, we recently learned that Furlong almost didn't get the part back in the day.
Edward Furlong recently addressed his audition process in a new documentary T2: Reprogramming the Terminator (via EW). The film describes how the inexperienced Furlong managed to nab the role of John, with him saying:
The first time I auditioned I had no script, because I was just supposed to be yelling at Mali, because she was like, my mom... Second audition, not so good. [James Cameron] told me, like, I didn't do so well on that... She came over to my house and she said, Jim almost wrote you off the list, but you're gonna get another chance. And I took it very seriously and I just went balls to the wall. After I did my last audition, Jim, he was like, 'Don't tell anybody this, but you got the movie' --- and that was awesome.
It looks like we almost could have had a very different John Conner in Terminator 2, after Edward Furlong screwed the pooch in his second audition. Luckily he managed to pull it together, and ended up giving a stirring performance as the kid who was destined to lead the future rebellion against Skynet.
Edward Furlong nearly losing the part should come to no great surprise, as he didn't have any exprience before landing Terminator 2. Luckily he ended up getting the role, which made room for him to book a few more high profile jobs in the years following. Aside from T2 he starred in films like Pet Sematary Two and American History X. As an adult his work slowed down, as he struggled with substance abuse and legal problems.
It should be interesting to see how John Conners is handled in the untitled sixth Terminator movie. Will they kill him off, recast, or bring back original cast member Edward Furlong? We'll just have to wait and see.
The new Terminator movie will arrive sometime in 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.
