Piranha II: The Spawning | |
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Directed by | James Cameron |
Screenplay by | Charles H. Eglee James Cameron |
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Cinematography | Roberto D'Ettorre Piazzoli |
Edited by | Roberto Silvi |
Music by | Stelvio Cipriani |
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Languages | English Italian |
Budget | $145,786[citation needed] |
Piranha II: The Spawning (titled Piranha: Part Two – The Spawning on-screen and released internationally as Piranha II: Flying Killers) is a 1982 monster horror film directed by James Cameron in his feature directorial debut. It is the sequel to the 1978 film Piranha, and the second installment in the Piranha film series. The screenplay was written by Cameron and Charles H. Eglee, under the shared pseudonym "H.A. Milton", and it stars Tricia O'Neil, Lance Henriksen, Steve Marachuk, Ted Richert, Ricky Paull Goldin, and Leslie Graves; no crew or cast members from the original film returned.
Cameron, previously a special effects artist for Roger Corman, was hired as director after executive producer Ovidio G. Assonitis fired his predecessor. The production was fraught with difficulties, as Assonitis exerted heavy creative control, hired an Italian crew that did not speak English, and prevented Cameron from participating in editing. The degree of Cameron's creative control over the final cut is disputed, with some sources including Cameron claiming that he was removed as director after two weeks of filming, while others maintain that he was present for the entirety of principal photography.
Both a critical failure and a box office bomb, Piranha II was largely disowned by Cameron, who attempted to have his name removed from official credits and prefers to refer to The Terminator (1984) as his first feature-length film as director.[3]
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