Cannes 2009: The Battle for Terminator 5
Bidding war predicted for future of sci-fi franchise.
The Terminator franchise faces a potentially rocky future, according to a report published by Variety that predicts a bidding war for the rights to future installments.
Terminator Salvation - which hits our screens in the coming weeks - is distributed by Warner Bros. in the US and Sony for international territories. However production company Halcyon owns the rights themselves and, according to the trades, they have a deal in place with rival studio MGM that gives them a 30-day right to first refusal to finance and distribute a Salvation sequel.
MGM turned down the chance to bankroll T4 because Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn't involved and Christian Bale was not yet onboard. However if Salvation turns a huge profit, and with director McG and Bale committed to future installments, they are expected to bid for the film.
Why should you care? Because there is the chance that production on Terminator 5 could be seriously delayed by a studio bidding war. If T4 makes serious money, every studio will want a piece of the action.
Terminator Salvation - which hits our screens in the coming weeks - is distributed by Warner Bros. in the US and Sony for international territories. However production company Halcyon owns the rights themselves and, according to the trades, they have a deal in place with rival studio MGM that gives them a 30-day right to first refusal to finance and distribute a Salvation sequel.
MGM turned down the chance to bankroll T4 because Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn't involved and Christian Bale was not yet onboard. However if Salvation turns a huge profit, and with director McG and Bale committed to future installments, they are expected to bid for the film.
Why should you care? Because there is the chance that production on Terminator 5 could be seriously delayed by a studio bidding war. If T4 makes serious money, every studio will want a piece of the action.
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| Movie: | Terminator Salvation |
| Celeb: | Christian Bale |
| Arnold Schwarzenegger | |
| Joseph McGinty |
(1-20 of 47 posts) | Reply
on May 14 2009 05:44 AM Here we go with another Fox-Warner Bros. type dispute! This is soooo stupid! Can't producers get their heads out of their butts long enough to be able to lock down ONE studio to a project without turning everything into a bidding war that could potentially delay a film? F.u.ck, dude....... (Reply to this) |
on May 14 2009 05:52 AM Yeah, this movie is guaranteed to rake in tons of money. Then everyone will want a piece of the action. (Reply to this) |
on May 14 2009 05:56 AM Money, money, money... it's all fair enough to a certain extent. Considering these companies risk their cash for our entertainment, there is nothing really worth debating. This IS the film INDUSTRY! Anyhouses, what's the rush? We've got four damn Terminator films already. Is there any need to rush into another sequel of another film franchise? Maybe while they fight it out in the court of contract law an original film script might slip through for a fresh director!? (Reply to this) |
on May 14 2009 05:59 AM They don't care if the film gets delayed if that means they will get more money. (Reply to this) |
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on May 14 2009 06:53 AM In reply to this comment (#2475253) The point is that MGM wasn't willing to risk money on this film when T4 needed it but now, if it turns a substantial profit, they'll want a piece of a "proven" franchise. That doesn't sound fair to me but it does sound like Hollywood. (Reply to this) |
on May 14 2009 07:26 AM In reply to this comment (#2475293) Sounds very similar to the situation with Fox, Warner Bros, and Watchmen. Fox washed it's hands of the whole thing [like MGM here] until it the work was done and it looked like there might be some subtantial money to be made. It may not seem fair, but that's the way that things work [not just in Hollywood, but in the business world]. The real difference is that MGM was smart here. When they released their rights, they kept a few options open that might result in major dollars. (Reply to this) |
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on May 14 2009 07:33 AM Mental. (Reply to this) |
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on May 14 2009 07:35 AM There's no problem at all. This film will underperform anyway. (Reply to this) |
on May 14 2009 08:00 AM I'm boycotting this movie. I recently watched The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day....those are easily two of the best Sci-Fi Action movies ever made.....as James Cameron said, the story really ended with the second film.....let's just stop making Terminator sequels, okay? Oh, I forgot.....all the studios care about is making money, regardless of the integrity of the product....nevermind....I'll just shut up now. (Reply to this) |
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on May 14 2009 09:38 AM You're "boycotting" this movie? Don't be ridiculous. You miss the point when Cameron says "the story ended with T2". The 'story' may have ENDED there, but only chronologically. That doesn't mean that there aren't large parts of the story which were never filled in. Like oh say.......the ENTIRE MACHINE WARS. How they came about, how the resistence came to be, how John Connor led it, what happened etc... All we've ever had are brief flashbacks to the machine wars. And everyone wants to know how they went down, especially me. And seriously, the trailers look AMAZING. Don't be a snob. You could come up with reasons to boycott anything in the world. (Reply to this) |
on May 14 2009 09:49 AM Who put this up in the first place??? Kinda stupid....Who wants to hear about this right now? Let the movie come out in peace...We dont need to worry about no sequels...Hollywood and their damn sequels...Let us enjoy the film...Movie hasnt come out for 10 mins and their already trying to hammer us with the next sequel...mumbo jumbo.... (Reply to this) |
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on May 14 2009 09:52 AM I do love the comments on the evils of making money on this site. The studios are evil for trying to make as much money as possible, the actors/actresses are evil for wanting to make as much money as possible. My favorite is when someone asks, how much money do they actually need? I'll tell you how much, every friggin dime they can make, or exactly the same response any of us would make if we had the chance to make this type of income. There is no such thing as making "too" much money, plain and simple. If you do wish the studio/actor to not make this type of income, then do not support the entertainment industry. But it certain comes across as sour grapes for the most part on here. (Reply to this) |
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on May 14 2009 09:54 AM James Cameron was just scared of messing up his perfectly done 1st two terminator films...its all ego...T3 wasnt that bad at all, and if Cameron would of did it, it probably would of been that good....I put my every penny that T:Salvation is gonna be bananas....And by the way T2 was good, but a bit overrated...Terminator was a friggin classic...Its all about Reese....lol... (Reply to this) |
on May 14 2009 09:56 AM ...Deja vu...Watchmen... (Reply to this) |
on May 14 2009 10:05 AM No, the story did end with T2. Yes, we missed out on the Machine Wars and how the resistance came about but it didn't matter. The whole point of T2 was that if John Conner survived, the resistance couldn't lose. Then T3 comes along and says, "No, just kidding Judgment Day is inevitable, sorry." (Reply to this) |
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on May 14 2009 10:08 AM In reply to this comment (#2475472) Whoops, meant to say that in T2 they stopped Judgment day from ever happening, so there was no need to continue the story. (Reply to this) |
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on May 14 2009 10:22 AM Im just glad Arnolds NOT in it (Reply to this) |
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on May 14 2009 11:16 AM Behind the scenes seems to be just as entertaining as the movie itself, a movie or a documentay should be made out of it. I sure as hell would pay money to see this squabble. (Reply to this) |
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on May 14 2009 11:26 AM It's not a big deal, relax. (Reply to this) |
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on May 14 2009 11:40 AM whatever happens i hope they lose mcg and get alfonso cauron (Reply to this) |
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