I bet Imax is happy about this news
The Terminator is making good on its coming-back word. The Governator, not so much.
The Halcyon Company has announced plans to revive the cyborg-battling movie series with at least three more films, after the production company purchased all rights to the dormant franchise for an undisclosed, though likely eight-figure, sum.
But while Halcyon founders Victor Kubicek and Derek Anderson are looking to begin preproduction on Terminator 4 as soon as possible, they will do so without a leading man. Or man-machine.
Plot details for the fourth film have been kept under tight wraps, though are said to pick up with John Connor, heir to the rebellion, in his thirties, leading the remainder of the human race in its ever-worsening battle against the machines. As the film will mark the beginning of a new trilogy, rather than a continuation of the previous three installments, its unlikely that the Terminator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, will even take part in the film reinvention, other than perhaps a cameo.
Of course, there are other reasons why the Ah-nuld won't be featured on the big screen. He has a bit of a schedule conflict due to matters of a more gubernatorial nature.
T4 has already been fast-tracked for production, with Halcyon looking to get the installment in theaters by summer 2009. As it is, Schwarzenegger will be leading the state of California through 2011.
While a spokeswoman for the governor asserts that "no law says he couldn't" star in the reimagined flick if he wanted to, the project was nonetheless "not even on his radar."
Still, the franchise's new minders aren't worried about extending the brand beyond Arnie.
"With T3, we included many incidental details and plot points that, along with the ain narrative, set the stage for an entirely new set of inter-related stories covering the future adventures of John Connor and the Terminators," producer Moritz Borman said. "This new Terminator trilogy will build upon the already huge worldwide Terminator fan base, which was both revitalized and expanded with the global success of T3."
In fact, T3, along with T2 and, well, plain old T, have grossed just over $1 billion worldwide since Terminator was first released in 1984.
"The Terminator franchise represents by far the most popular and successful franchise not owned by a major studio," Kubicek said. "We see this global franchise as a cornerstone of Halcyon's future business plans."
A very large cornerstone.
In addition to the big-screen cyborg saga, the company snapped up all future merchandising and licensing rights to the franchise, future revenue generated by T3: Rise of the Machines and a portion of the rights to an almost guaranteed TV series based on the films.
Warner Bros. has already filmed a pilot for The Sarah Connor Chronicles, an hourlong show based around the Terminator character and mythology surrounding the movies. According to Variety, Fox has already expressed interest in the project, and could opt to pick up the series at next week's upfronts, when the fall prime-time schedules are unveiled.
Arnold Schwarzenegger (Terminator) was sent back in time in T3, to protect John Connors officers. The actual same Terminator that killed John Connor in the future, but they captured him and reprogrammed him, and sent him back to protect the officers, and John Connor. They could easily fit that into the new movies.
-Siepher
Am I excited? No. T3 was a terrible movie with an alarmingly gutsy ending. They should leave it at that, and let the legacy ferment.
Like someone should pin George Lucas down and scream into his ear; let.it.go.
The best part of the whole trilogy is the fact that John Connor's father is the guy sent back to protect his mother in the origional movie, if the Mach's didn't send the Terminator to kill his mother, the human resistance wouldn't have sent back someone to help and John Connor wouldn't have been born thus mach's would have won the war.....
*sighs*
I REALLY miss living in Hollywood! Lots of friends in the industry, inside scoops on things like this. Smog and transients. Ah the good old days.
Can't wait to see what talent they get for this new effort.
Am I excited? No. T3 was a terrible movie with an alarmingly gutsy ending. They should leave it at that, and let the legacy ferment. Like someone should pin George Lucas down and scream into his ear; let.it.go.
Well, being the terminator expert that I am, I can assure you the new movies will NOT be like anything you've seen already.
Its very simple to see what they plan to do. Basicly each movie will show you the "future" side of the story from each film.
T4 will end with Reese going back in time
T5 will end with t-1000 and a t-800 going back in time
T6 will end with John Conner being killed and sending the T-850 back in time to stop the T-X
Thats as short and simple as I can tell it folks, I would give a VERY long winding theory and story But im at work and dont have the time, maybe later
