James Cameron’s £100M Blockbuster Faced Plagiarism Claims Before AI

Years before artificial intelligence became a byword for creative theft, James Cameron’s first £100 million production had already encountered the concept in a rather human form. Released in 1994, the action-comedy starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis was not an entirely original tale. Cameron’s script was, in fact, an adaptation of the 1991 French comedy La Totale!, a detail that would later become central to a legal dispute.

With a budget of $115 million, the film cast Schwarzenegger as Harry Tasker, a secret agent attempting to juggle espionage with family life. Despite being Cameron’s only foray into adapting another’s work, the project would soon find itself at the centre of a plagiarism lawsuit.

Legal Disputes and the Question of Originality

Although Cameron had officially acquired the rights to La Totale!, the story’s origins were called into question in 2000. French screenwriter Lucien Lambert brought a case against Claude Zidi, director of the original French film, alleging that Zidi had lifted material from Lambert’s unproduced 1981 script, Émilie. Cameron, having purchased the rights in good faith, was also named in the suit.

The matter reached the Paris Court of Appeal, which ultimately sided with Lambert in 2004. Zidi was ordered to pay Lambert a portion of the profits he had earned from the film’s success, while Cameron was exonerated of any wrongdoing. The court recognised that Cameron had acted properly in securing the adaptation rights, leaving him clear of liability.

Why a Sequel Never Materialised

Despite the film’s popularity and strong box office performance—grossing $378 million worldwide—plans for a follow-up never came to fruition. The original was released before the events of 9/11, and the shifting global climate made the subject matter more sensitive. Both Cameron and Jamie Lee Curtis have spoken about the difficulties of revisiting the story in a post-9/11 world, with Curtis stating in a 2019 interview:

I don’t think we could ever do another ‘True Lies’ after 9/11. This was pre 9/11 so I wouldn’t want to say we could make fun of terrorism but we could make fun of terrorism because it was so outrageous and of course, we can’t ever make fun of them ever again.

Schwarzenegger also mentioned that a script for a sequel existed, featuring a dramatic scene aboard a crashing aeroplane, but admitted that the process of rewriting and adapting the story was taking far longer than anticipated.

Legacy and Reception

Despite the legal wrangling and the absence of a sequel, the film remains a classic of its genre. Directed by Cameron and produced by Lightstorm Entertainment, it featured a cast including Tom Arnold alongside Schwarzenegger and Curtis. Released on 15 July 1994, it earned a 7.3/10 rating on IMDb and a 72% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences can still find it available on YouTube TV.

The film’s journey from French farce to Hollywood blockbuster, and the subsequent legal battles, serve as a reminder that questions of originality and inspiration have long predated the rise of AI. The story’s enduring appeal, however, is a testament to its unique blend of action and comedy, and to the talents of those involved.