One of the characters in the current Arnold Schwarzenegger movie "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" was nearly named Scott Peterson -- just like the Modesto, Calif., man charged with killing his wife Laci and their unborn son, reports the Associated Press.

Instead, that name was changed to Scott Mason -- although in an interview appearing in Britain, actor Mark Famiglietti, who plays Mason in "T3," said filming was finished in late August, four months before Laci Peterson was reported missing.

Therefore, it could have been just a coincidence that the name was changed. But not everyone agrees.

"Due to the name's similarity to Scott Peterson and the plot of his fiancee's kidnapping, the character's name was changed," AP cites the Internet Movie Database Web site as uncovering, though several fan sites for the hit flick reportedly still list the character's name as Peterson.

"T3" representatives could not immediately be reached for comment on the matter, says AP.

In the movie, the Scott character is engaged to a woman who is kidnapped. In the real scenario, Scott Peterson's wife, Laci, was reported missing on Christmas Eve and found dead months later.

Peterson, 30, currently sits behind bars in Northern California awaiting trial. He has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife and unborn son.