Production note True Lies was made with a production budget over $100 million and grossed about $378 million.
Production note It was the first film with a production budget over $100 million.
Production note The finale’s bridge destruction used a real Florida Keys bridge and model work.
Production note James Cameron started Digital Domain during the True Lies era.
Production note Arnold and Jamie Lee Curtis reportedly rehearsed the tango for months.
Production note Tom Arnold auditioned partly to meet James Cameron and discovered he had chemistry with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Disputed in the episode A rumor claimed Jodie Foster was originally cast as Helen.
Production note The film’s sequel plans were reportedly derailed after 9/11.
Production note Arnold and Jamie Lee Curtis’s title cards were reordered after Cameron finished the film.
Bond Used throughout as the template for the film’s spy-action structure.
Naked Gun Referenced to describe the film’s madcap visual gags.
De Palma Referenced as a shorthand for voyeuristic, mirror-based thriller imagery.
Mission: Impossible Used as both a descendant and a ripoff of the bathroom fight and other action ideas.
The Fugitive Referenced in a box-office and sequel discussion.
Pretty Woman Used as a comparison for sequelability in the 1990s.
Avatar Used to explain why Cameron stopped making more standalone action films.
Titanic Used to mark the point where Cameron’s career changed and he became less interested in making these kinds of films.
Twister Referenced as another 1990s blockbuster that felt part of a changing era.
Speed Used as a contemporary blockbuster comparison and sequel-era marker.
The Lion King Mentioned in a box-office prediction list.
Forrest Gump Mentioned in the same box-office prediction list.
Blue Steel Referenced as the James Cameron-adjacent movie that brought him and Jamie Lee Curtis together.
The Bear Mentioned while discussing Jamie Lee Curtis’s later career and awards run.
Fortnite Used as a joke about action-movie escalation and modern gaming imagery.
