You Won This Item On Ebay: Rights To The TERMINATOR Franchise

[devincf]

http://chud.com/articles/articles/21...ISE/Page1.html

[Justin Clark]

Give control of this or any major franchise to its most hardcore fans, Rule 34 will jump to the medium of film like creative herpes.

[halofan1]

I actually hate to admit, but I started thinking of pooling people together when Dev pitched the idea at the end of the article.

Personally though, as big a fan as I am of the franchise, it ends at 2 with me and I'm perfectly ok with it.

[Princess Kate]

Devin,

It's an intriguing idea you've put forward in your article today. I do see some some issues though. If the rights were on the table for a million, I can see enough average fans banding together to raise that sum. 25$ million dollars though? There is not enough grass roots support out there to raise that sum. You'd need a couple of large philanthropist donors to chip in on top of the small dollar donations. And in that case... who really owns the rights? While many cineasts are passionate, they're not always well organized. You can't have the rights held by a few thousand people collectively. They'd have to set up a trust or a board of directors to manage it. And not all the fans would agree on where the property should go. Who would arbitrate such a decision? Would the donors who chipped in with larger dollar amounts get a larger say in what happens with the franchise? All questions that would need to be answered before what you suggest would be possible, Devin. Fascinating though, regardless. I like the way your mind works!

PS: And I wonder if legally they'd need to set up their trust or non profit or whatever BEFORE they'd be able to buy the rights.

Terminator fans 2 minutes after winning the franchise rights:

[Humanoid]

Cameron should buy it and bury it forever.

EDIT: though I'm guessing the rights aren't permanent.

[Abbott & Prospero]

As Devin points out, Halcyon got the rights for 25 million and that was when there was still some possible life in the franchise. Now that Salvation shit the bed, and the tv series has been buried, where do you go with the franchise to justify paying any more for the rights than what Halcyon gave for them? Is it simply to sit on the them while waiting for an appropriate amount of time to pass before trotting out a reboot/remake/rethinking of the first film? Or would another studio attempt to develop further films centered around John Connor and the future war?

[Tati]

I'd wait and reboot in 5 years.

edit: From a business point of view. From a film fan, i'd leave it the fuck alone.

[Barry Woodward]

Joss Whedon vs. Skynet?

An Open Letter to the Terminator Owners.
From a Very Important Hollywood Mogul

Dear Sirs/Ma'ams,

I am Joss Whedon, the mastermind behind Titan A.E., Parenthood (not the movie) (or the new series) (or the one where 'hood' was capitalized 'cause it was a pun), and myriad other legendary tales. I have heard through the 'grapevine' that the Terminator franchise is for sale, and I am prepared to make a pre-emptive bid RIGHT NOW to wrap this dealio up. This is not a joke, this is not a scam, this is not available on TV. I will write a check TODAY for $10,000, and viola! Terminator off your hands.

No, you didn't miscount. That's four -- FOUR! -- zeroes after that one. That's to show you I mean business. And I mean show business. Nikki Finke says the Terminator concept is played. Well, here's what I have to say to Nikki Finke: you are a fine journalist and please don't ever notice me. The Terminator story is as formative and important in our culture -- and my pretend play -- as any I can think of. It's far from over. And before you Terminator-Owners (I have trouble remembering names) rush to cash that sweet cheque, let me give you a taste of what I could do with that franchise:

1) Terminator... of the Rings! Yeah, what if he time-travelled TOO far... back to when there was dragons and wizards? (I think it was the Dark Ages.) Hasta La Vista, Boramir! Cool, huh? "Now you gonna be Gandalf the Red!" RRRRIP! But then he totally helps, because he's a cyborg and he doesn't give a s#&% about the ring -- it has no power over him! And he can carry it AND Frodo AND Sam AND f@%& up some orcs while he's doing it. This stuff just comes to me. I mean it. (I will also offer $10,000 for the Lord of the Rings franchise).

2) More Glau. Hey. There's a reason they're called "Summer" movies.

3) Can you say... musical? Well don't. Even I know that's an awful idea.

4) Christian Bale's John Connor will get a throat lozenge. This will also help his Batwork (ten grand for that franchise too, btw.)

5) More porn. John Connor never told Kyle Reese this, but his main objective in going to the past was to get some. What if there's a lot of future-babies that have to be made? Cue wah-wah pedal guitar -- and dollar signs!

6) The movies will stop getting less cool.

Okay. There's more -- this brain don't quit! (though it has occasionally been fired) -- but I think you get my drift. I really believe the Terminator franchise has only begun to plumb the depths of questioning the human condition during awesome stunts, and I'd like to shepherd it through the next phase. The money is there, but more importantly, the heart is there. But more importantly, money. Think about it. End this bloody bidding war before it begins, and put the Terminator in the hands of someone who watched the first one more than any other movie in college, including "Song of Norway" (no current franchise offer).

Sincerely,
Joss Whedon

http://whedonesque.com/comments/22240

[Tati]

That encapsulates why i don't watch Joss Whedon shows.

[Justin Clark]

Dear Joss,

We all saw what you did to the Alien Franchise. Cut the shit.

Sincerely,
A Fan.

[Chris Myers]

I really like Joss but that wasn't as funny as planned. As for future movies, I seriously hope they end the current story. With Bale. We don't need another new actor for that role.

[RathBandu]

Originally Posted by Tati

That encapsulates why i don't watch Joss Whedon shows anymore.

Seconded.

[Princess Kate]

Originally Posted by Chris Myers

I really like Joss but that wasn't as funny as planned. As for future movies, I seriously hope they end the current story. With Bale. We don't need another new actor for that role.

I may be one of Bale's biggest fans, but what they really need to do is go crawling back to Nick Stahl and get him to sign on again. Letting him go may have been one of the gravest mistakes the franchise ever made

[Dan]

The last time they "gave the franchise to the fans" we were given AvP2.

Seems like the perfect property for Sony to sink their teeth into. Not enough Vaios in T4.

[Nabster]

Yea, seriously, as if the fans could somehow make a better movie than the studios, it would be a terrible idea. I'd be on board for a Whedon terminator, he didn't direct the Alien flick so I don't think it should be used against him, instead a fairer film to judge him by would be Serenity, which I thought was pretty cool.

[felix]

Originally Posted by Chris Myers

As for future movies, I seriously hope they end the current story. With Bale. We don't need another new actor for that role.

Exactly. We need more monotone growling.

[Ben Thomas]

God, I hate Joss Whedon.

[SAIRUS]

So Joss, hows that second season of that doll show?

[Feral Akodon]

Originally Posted by SAIRUS

So Joss, hows that second season of that doll show?

Fits perfectly with your avatar.

[FilmNerdJamie]

Originally Posted by Justin Clark

Dear Joss,

We all saw what you did to the Alien Franchise. Cut the shit.

Sincerely,
A Fan.

Amen.

[Spideristic]

His follow up comments
http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2009/...erminator-bid/

[Jake]

god people really asked him for follow-up comments

[RathBandu]

Whedon and Aaron Sorkin are having some kind of contest to see who can break my heart more times.

[Pop Zeus]

Yes, not funny. But if Whedon somehow ended up in creative control of the franchise I'd be okay with it. The series had some neat ideas but the film franchise is pretty damn rudderless.

[Captain Mal]

Halcyon paid $25 million for the rights, spent $200 million on the flick, and it grossed $371 million worldwide. Now they're filing for bankruptcy? WTF? Why not put together a sequel that isn't absurdly over-budgeted and make your money back. Genre fans have proven time and again that they don't need astronomically-budgeted flicks in order to turn out and support a film. Hey, how much did the first Terminator flick cost, again?

Also, Joss Whedon is responsible for the best space opera since 1977.

[Rheokhu]

Sell the property to a video game company and be done with it. Enough with John Connor already.

[ForsakenNoMore]

Originally Posted by Captain Mal

Halcyon paid $25 million for the rights, spent $200 million on the flick, and it grossed $371 million worldwide. Now they're filing for bankruptcy? WTF? Why not put together a sequel that isn't absurdly over-budgeted and make your money back. Genre fans have proven time and again that they don't need astronomically-budgeted flicks in order to turn out and support a film. Hey, how much did the first Terminator flick cost, again?

Also, Joss Whedon is responsible for the best space opera since 1977.

Umm, first one was about a newbie filmmaker with something to prove and establish himself as a player. Throw in hunger, drive and passion. Plus, Lance Henriksen was almost THE TERMINATOR.

[neoolong]

Originally Posted by Captain Mal

Also, Joss Whedon is responsible for the best space opera since 1977.

Wait, Firefly/Serenity is better than Empire Strikes Back?

[ryoken]

this brain don't quit! (though it has occasionally been fired)

That brain got fired years ago and never reapplied for its old job, if I am to judge.

[Chris Myers]

Originally Posted by Captain Mal

Halcyon paid $25 million for the rights, spent $200 million on the flick, and it grossed $371 million worldwide. Now they're filing for bankruptcy? WTF? Why not put together a sequel that isn't absurdly over-budgeted and make your money back. Genre fans have proven time and again that they don't need astronomically-budgeted flicks in order to turn out and support a film. Hey, how much did the first Terminator flick cost, again?

Halcyon got a pre-determined sum for international distribution and would only have reached green numbers if the us box office and merchandise were awesome. They weren't. Also, their tv-series did horrible business.

I love Summer Glau, though.