Just curious: Do cyborgs come with factory warranties?
Banged-up Terminator Arnold Schwarzenegger checked out of a Santa Monica hospital Thursday after undergoing surgery for a shoulder injury he sustained during production on his upcoming sequel Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.
The aging action star tore the rotator cuff of his left shoulder while performing a stunt on the set of T3 last fall but didn't have surgery at the time to avoid holding up production.
Schwarzenegger, 55, was admitted to St. John's Health Center on Wednesday for the operation and left a day later "feeling great and in very good spirits," according to a statement released by his publicist. (The actor was admitted to the same hospital in December 2001 when he fractured several ribs in a motorcycle accident.)
Despite having to keep his shoulder immobilized in a tight sling for the next three to four weeks, the actor won't adjust his schedule, including a multi-state tour for his Inner-City Games Foundation next week.
"I'm feeling great," said the former Austrian body builder in the statement. "I am very fortunate to have had such fantastic surgeons at St. John's work on my shoulder,"
Ah-nuld was feeling well enough pre-surgery to kick off last weekend's Super Bowl XXXVII. TV audiences also got a preview of his upcoming megabucks movie during the second quarter of the game.
The movie is shaping up to be one of the most expensive films ever made, with a projected budget of more than $170 million--well beyond the $145 million Walt Disney green-lighted for Pearl Harbor.
Of course, if 1984's The Terminator and it's 1991 sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, are any indication, studio execs can breathe easy. The two films combined grossed more than $560 million.
This time out, however, a lot is riding on Schwarzenegger's injured shoulders, including a record-breaking paycheck. The actor reportedly inked a $30 million deal to reprise the role that made him famous--that of a shades-sporting, leather-wearing, shotgun-toting, motorcycle-riding killing machine with a heart of gold--for the third installment in the Terminator series.
Here's hoping the money is well spent. The actor's last high-octane feature, Collateral Damage, grossed less than $50 million in domestic box-office receipts (of course, the touchy terrorist-related plot didn't help matters).
Upping the ante is the fact that Schwarzenegger's chiseled mug is the only leftover from the movie's original franchise. Director James Cameron is out of the picture, which leaves relative unknown Jonathan Mostow (U-571) at the helm.
Also MIA in this installment are Linda Hamilton (who reportedly may briefly pop up in a flashback sequence as Linda Connor) and Edward Furlong. Instead the movie will feature Claire Danes and Nick Stahl, who takes over the role of twentysomething John Connor from Furlong. Stahl will team up with his old T-800 cyborg pal (Schwarzenegger) to battle the seemingly unstoppable T-X, the latest killer model to come out of the factory, played by Norwegian actress Kristanna Loken.
The film is due out over the July 4 holiday weekend.