Jamie Lee Curtis Wants True Lies 2 — The Underrated Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic Is Overdue for a Remake
Nearly 30 years after True Lies, Jamie Lee Curtis wants to reunite with Arnold Schwarzenegger for a long-awaited sequel, saying in a new ET interview she’s still hopeful about reviving their 1994 action-comedy duo despite the original’s mixed reception.
Jamie Lee Curtis wants one more ride with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Specifically: a True Lies sequel. She is game. He is game. The hang-up is exactly who you think it is.
So, is True Lies 2 actually a thing?
In a chat with ET (yes, Entertainment Tonight), Curtis said she still hopes a sequel could happen, but only under one very specific condition: James Cameron has to write it. Her words, not mine:
I always hoped that Arnold and I would get to do True Lies again. I don't think that'll happen because it could only happen if Jim Cameron wrote it. I don't think we would ever do it without him. That was obviously a movie that changed my life in a big way.
Translation: no Cameron, no sequel. Which brings us to the scheduling problem.
The Cameron problem
Cameron wrote and directed the 1994 original, and that movie is very much a Cameron-brained operation: big-time action, a domestic comedy streak, and a nuclear subplot for dessert. If he is not involved, Curtis is out. And right now, Cameron is neck-deep in Pandora again, focusing on the Avatar franchise, especially the release of Avatar: Fire and Ash. On top of that, he is working on a documentary called Ghost of Hiroshima. In other words, his calendar is a fortress at the moment.
A quick True Lies refresher
Back in 1994, True Lies paired Schwarzenegger as a secret agent hunting for four missing nuclear warheads with a marriage that is falling apart at the same time. Curtis played Helen Tasker, the wife who has no idea her husband is basically a one-man ops team until, well, everything blows up. The movie did real business, got mixed-to-positive reactions, and aged into the underrated column for a lot of fans. Curtis credits it as a major turning point for her career.
Why a remake might actually make sense
There is another lane here: remake it. Glen Powell is leading a new take on Schwarzenegger's 1987 The Running Man, and that announcement alone put a fresh spotlight on Arnold's older hits, including True Lies. A modern spin could hook a new generation, and, yes, you could imagine Schwarzenegger and Curtis popping back in some capacity. Not saying it is happening, just that the door is there if someone wants to walk through it.
- True Lies quick stats: Director: James Cameron; Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold; Year: 1994; IMDb: 7.3/10; Rotten Tomatoes: 72%; Worldwide box office: $378 million; Production: Lightstorm Entertainment.
Bottom line
Everyone would watch a True Lies reunion. The stars want it. The audience wants it. But unless Cameron presses pause on Avatar and that Hiroshima doc, a direct sequel feels like a long shot. A remake? That might be the faster way back to the dance.
If you want a rewatch, True Lies is streaming on YouTube TV in the US.