By now everyone knows that James Cameron has decided to make Avatar his next film, while his other project Battle Angel Alita is put on hold. Clint over at Moviehole thinks he knows why.

Austrian Oak fansite TheArnoldFans.com says that Alita has been delayed because James Cameron is waiting on Arnold Schwarzenegger. Cameron knew Arnie might win another term (which he has), and that would have totally screwed up his schedule. They insist that Cameron wants Arnie for the role of the cyborg "Ido" in the movie. So now Alita sits comfortably on a shelf until Arnie is done screwing around with politics and wants to play a cyborg again.

I'm not sure I believe it. The rumor seems too convenient to me, particularly in its proximity to Schwarzenegger's re-election. Still, if true that means it'll be a very long time before we see Cameron tackle his long looked for Battle Angel Alita movie. Schwarzenegger has four more years in office, and after that who knows what he's up to.