Will the ‘Terminator’ franchise be back?
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Business reporter Ben Fritz, over at out sister blog Company Town, has been covering the ongoing angst among the makers of ‘Terminator Salvation,’ a film that fell a bit flat here in the U.S. but did very well overseas.
First, Fritz worked on a piece about the slippery past of producers Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek then that was followed with his report that the duo’s bankruptcy filing. Now Fritz is back with a deeper look at the situation that updates the news by reporting a new volley of lawsuits and the producing tandem’s fragile grip on the franchise. Here’s an excerpt:
The suits come as the Halcyon Company, owned by Anderson and Kubicek, has been attempting to raise money to keep operating their company, according to several people familiar with the situation. The duo also is in the early stages of development on a fifth ‘Terminator’ film, two people familiar with their efforts said. If they don’t prevail in the suit or raise enough money to pay back Pacificor, however, they may not get the chance to make another movie. According to the complaints, the hedge fund may end up taking control of the ‘Terminator’ rights, which served as collateral for its loans. Anderson and Kubicek have been involved in numerous lawsuits during their three-year career in Hollywood, during which ‘Terminator’ is the only film they have produced and released.
After watching the first few weeks of ‘Salvation’ box office totals, I remember wondering whether we’d be seeing another installement in the killer-robot franchise, and that was before all this latest behind-the-scenes drama. When I visited the set, director McG was clear on the fact that he wanted to make a trilogy but the story of ‘Salvation’ didn’t leave an espeically obvious next-step for the story (especially considering where the finale left charismatic newcomer Sam Worthington’s and his character Marcus, perhaps the best part of the film).
So what’s next? McG is busy now preparing for ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’ and also has plans to make an adaptation of ‘Spring Awakening’ by all expectation ‘Salvation’ star Christian Bale will soon be returning to Gotham City.
All things considered, I suspect the plug has been pulled on ‘Terminator,’ maybe for good this time...
-- Geoff Boucher
RECENT AND RELATED
McG: We’re bringing credibility back to ‘Terminator’
Separated at birth: Termaintor and...SpongeBob?
Director McG hopes ‘Terminator’ will get his career back on course
For ‘Terminator’ and ‘Trek’ star Anton Yelchin the future is now
Sam Worthington, man or machine?
Christian Bale’s tantrum, the remix
VIDEO: Christian Bale’s career highlights, from ‘Newsies’ to ‘Terminator’