UPDATED: Lionsgate leading TERMINATOR bid
The time of big Terminator blockbusters are all but gone as the studio behind the Saw movies take over Skynet.
UPDATE: A more clearer picture of the situation comes from an article in The L.A. Times which mentions that Lionsgate haven't won the rights to the Terminator series just yet. Instead, they've made a $15 million plus 5% of future box office revenue offer to Halcyon, and are currently the top bidder. Apparently, it's what is known as a "stalking horse bid"...
The designation of stalking horse means any other company that wants to bid against Lions Gate has to offer at least $750,000 more. The deadline for competitive bids is... Feb. 5. A new owner of the "Terminator" rights will be determined by the bankruptcy court at a hearing on Feb. 10.L.A. Times go on to mention that the studio currently own the home-video distribution rights to both the original movie, and the 1992 sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day. END OF UPDATE! Warner Bros, Sony, Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Universal Pictures and Walt Disney Studios have all turned down the chance to buy the Terminator franchise, as Nikki Finke reports that Lionsgate are finalising their deal to obtain the exclusive property rights from the bankrupt Halcyon Co. Yes, that company that makes the Saw movies! None of Hollywood's elite were willing to make an investment on the series that has made $1.4 billion worldwide in box office returns from the movies alone, as they all believe it's a dead franchise.
So, no chance of a Spider-Man, Bond, Batman, Star Trek style reboot from the big six - probably because of a double header of bad movies, and a belief that Arnold Schwarznegger was the franchise and without him there's nothing left. Not even an A-list movie star like Christian Bale could keep it alive. The days of the big Terminator spectacle are over. Expect Lionsgate to hire a guy like Nimrod Antal (Predators, Vacancy), or The Brothers Strausse (Alien vs. Predator 2) to deliver an easily digestable, low-key, schlock sci-fi movie in the spirit of The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Lionsgate could never take a risk on a big Summer blockbuster with a $200 million+ budget (like Terminator Salvation), because if it flopped - Lionsgate would take a substantial hit they might never recover from.