Movies are dreams. They exist in the mind of the filmmakers as a near-abstract set of images, moments, relationships, and lines of dialogue until they are executed upon and made into something more tangible. Something tangible enough to launch a franchise worth over a billion dollars. According to The National Film Registry, The Terminator franchise's worth is constantly growing. While the recent films in the franchise haven't been as well-received as the first two, their relative success is owed to James Cameron.

There are many fun facts about the making of The Terminator films, which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger. But a little-known fact is that the idea for the first movie (and ultimately the franchise) came from a dream James Cameron had. While there are a number of excellent movies James Cameron has directed (as well as some poor ones), most agree that the first Terminator film was downright excellent for a popcorn blockbuster picture. Not only did it catapult Arnold's career to new heights, but it built a massive fanbase. Thanks to an excellent interview with Entertainment Weekly, we know exactly what James Cameron's initial dream actually was...

The Dream Was Actually A Nightmare Induced By Sickness

The first Terminator movie was made for just $6.4 million by a couple of young filmmakers who were taught the craft by famed director Roger Corman. The movie grossed a whopping $38 million in 1984 and launched several films worth over a billion dollars. Not to mention, it set James Cameron up to become one of the most influential directors of all time, helming movies like Titanic and the Avatar franchise. So, it's pretty amazing to think that it all came from a dream in 1981. Well, actually, it was a 'nightmare'.

James Cameron terminator dream Arnold
Pinterest

"Nightmares are a business asset; that’s the way I look at it," James Cameron told Entertainment Weekly. At the time of his dream, he was 26-years-old making models and art for director Roger Corman. He was also making the terrible Piranha II: The Spawning. Although, he only directed that B-movie for five days before being fired.

Related: Here's How James Cameron Might Have To Direct 'Avatar 2' When It Resumes

"I was sick, I was broke, I had a high fever, and I had a dream about this metal death figure coming out of a fire," James described. "And the implication was that it had been stripped of its skin by the fire and exposed for what it really was. When I have some particularly vivid image, I’ll draw it or I’ll write some notes, and that goes on to this day."

Finding His Partner

As soon as James Cameron returned to Los Angeles from Rome (where he was filming the Piranha movie), he showed his sketches to one of Roger Corman's consultants, Gale Anne Hurd. Not long after, she became James' wife (and later, ex-wife) and writing partner.

"Gale was working for Roger on a movie called Humanoids From the Deep," James said. "She was young and super smart. I showed her what I was working on, and she thought it was pretty cool."

Related: Are James Cameron And Leonardo DiCaprio Friends?

James also went into details about the dream he had about the metal endoskeleton and basically, the whole story came together as a result of that image.

"We both were committed to the same principle," James said to Entertainment Weekly. "It could be shot out in the streets of L.A., cheaply, guerrilla-style, which is how I was trained by Roger Corman. And it involved visual effects elements that I could bring to the table that another director couldn’t and do them economically, because I knew all those tricks."

According to Gale, the two of them compiled a 40 page single-spaced scriptment of the movie.

"We batted ideas back and forth and always kept in mind that if we wanted to not only sell this script but produce and direct, it had to be at a budget level that wasn’t intimidating to investors," Gale said.

The low budget level also allowed the studio to get behind the idea of casting a virtually unknown woman as the lead of the action picture.

"For me and Jim, always, was the idea that heroic people are the ones who least expect to be heroes. There’s a tradition of male characters who go to war, who are in the boxing ring, who rise to be the corporate titan, you name it," Gale said. "But Jim has always found women to be the more compelling parts to write. Culturally, they’re the ones who feel less equipped, because that’s what society tells them."

"People think that I was a typical male director who was brought to task by a strong female producer and forced to do these themes," James added. "But they have connected the dots in the wrong way. My respect for strong women is what attracted me to Gale. It’s what made me want to work with her. "

Next: Why Christian Bale Doomed The Sequel To Terminator: Salvation