'Terminator: Dark Fate' was bloodbath of creative differences: Cameron

James Cameron has opened up about "creative battles" with "Terminator: Dark Force" director Tim Miller, saying he was closely involved in the editing of the film though he never visited the set. Miller is credited as the director on the film, which serves as the direct sequel to Cameron's "The Terminator" and "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" but Cameron, in an interview with CinemaBlend, said Miller's rough cut was "pretty rough" and "pretty long".

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The 'Titanic' director said the movie transformed in the editing room as he worked with Miller and producer David Ellison "to find the best film that could emerge from the rough cut.

"It wasn't a slam-dunk at the time. I felt there were a lot of pathways that were taken that were unnecessary. I'm an editor myself, so I gave notes that were both broad, and very specific. I continued in that process up to about two and a half months ago when we locked picture...  I never went to the set. I've yet to physically meet the new cast because I never went to the set. But I was very involved in the writing and I was very involved in the cutting of the film. And to me, the cutting is really an extension of the writing," Cameron said.

While Cameron said Miller was always involved in the editing process, there were many disagreements during process of editing the film.

"I would say many (disagreements). And the blood is still being scrubbed off the walls from those creative battles. This is a film that was forged in fire. So yeah, but that's the creative process, right?"

Cameron was similarly involved in Robert Rodriguez's "Alita: Battle Angel" but the collaboration process was smoother, he said.

"My work with Robert on Alita was very different. Robert loved the script, loved everything, said, I just want to make this movie. I want to make the movie the way you see it.' I was like, No, you got to make it your movie.' I had the reverse experience with Tim, which is Tim wanted to make it his movie. And I'm like, Yeah, but I kind of know a little about this world.' So I had the matter and the anti-matter version of that producurial (sic) experience." 

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