Will Lawsuits and Bankruptcy Spell the End of the Terminator Franchise?
Posted in General Terminator News, T5: Terminator 5 Movie on 20-08-2009
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The LATimes currently has a series of articles on what they believe is the murky fate of the Terminator franchise. In short, the paper believes that thanks to a spree of lawsuits and current bankruptcy filing, The Halycon Company, which owns the rights to the franchise and who made “Terminator Salvation”, may have made their last Terminator film.
Here’s a brief excerpt from the article:
Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek, producers of Warner Bros.’ and Sony Pictures’ May release “Terminator Salvation,” have filed a pair of $30 million lawsuits: One against Santa Barbara hedge fund Pacificor, which loaned them money to buy the rights to the science-fiction film series, and another against a former employee of Pacificor who helped arrange the loans.
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.
And here, about the producers of the movie filing for bankruptcy in the aftermath of the latest lawsuit:
Just a day after the duo sued their investors for allegedly pushing them into a series of bad business decisions and placing what they claim is an illegal lien on their property, three companies belonging to Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek, owners of the “Terminator” franchise rights and the producers of May’s “Terminator Salvation,” filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Tuesday.
Even though the movie has sold a healthy $370 million worth of tickets around the world and has yet to be released on DVD and in other post-theatrical markets, Anderson and Kubicek apparently couldn’t stay afloat. As detailed in yesterday’s lawsuits, they don’t have the assets to pay back one of several loans made by Santa Barbara hedge fund Pacificor, which financed their $30-million purchase of the “Terminator” rights and loaned $9 million for other operating expenses.
What does all this mean for the Terminator franchise? I can’t see new installments in the new trilogy going forward with this kind of financial problems hanging over the producer’s heads. I also can’t see any of the talent coming back when they can’t even be sure if they’ll get paid.
Of course, filing for bankruptcy is now more of a financial maneuver than actual signs of financial problems, but you gotta figure the franchise may get delayed until all of this is figured out by the parties involved.
The Terminator producers in happier times with director McG.
great, just great…this is unbelievable…first, the tscc, now the terminator? what the hell is wrong???
They did a piss poor job with the Terminator franchise, wouldn’t mind if someone took it off their hands. Ultimately, I’d rather see the franchise dead than bum raped over and over by the likes of Anderson, Kubicek and McG.
Anderson, Kubicek, I AM COMMING FOR YOU ! LOL
I absolutely agree . Should have ended with T2 .
With this lawsuit happening, we can throw out any hope that TSCC might return anytime soon. I’ve always wondered how such an unknown company got hold of such a franchise like Terminator. I hope someone with brains and respect for the Terminator franchise buys it. then will turn around and give us another season of TSCC. Cheaper to produce than a movie, and with today’s computer graphics, you can certainly give it that futuristic feel for the future war that John Connor found himself in at the end of Season 2.
“hausta la vista, baby”
tscc is dead and gone and i hate this, the movie was crap and there is no way McG should be allowed touch this next one if it happenes, he is not up to the challange the story was just crap
Have you looked at that picture on the top of this page? Do any of them look like someone you’d trust with $39 let alone $39 million?
No wonder the Terminator franchise got screwed. Thank God we at least we got 31 decent episodes of TSCC before it all got f’d up.
Like I said before, “I hope someone with brains and respect for the Terminator franchise buys it, then will turn around and give us another season of TSCC.”
are you guys joking, the terminator franchise is the best of movies to ever come out. i can not get enough of them, and i want more, i want terminator 5 they are also good, including the chronicles. come on guys
yeah, Dale, you’re just like me.
Like i’ve said before, the Terminator movies, especially the second, bring me up when i’m down.
Some people think that that is stupid but i also know that i’m not the only one to think that so pease do not terminate this saga.
The first two movies captured a feeling, that has been lost to some degree. The Terminator franchise has just been surfing off these earlier works. It appears the wave has crashed on the beach.
the show is dead and gone, and i wish it was not true but we lost, the movie was poor at best and McG should not be allowed anywhere near any future movie
support from ireland
If they need help paying them back_ I’ll help. Keep this show Alive!
Everyone who did not like any additional installments to the franchise after Terminator 2 need to stop crying and moaning, I hope things work out for the better because it would suck to have salvation(good) be the last Movie having all of us wondering what was supposed to happen next.
Reality- robots are being made now, why should this show ever stop?
The Transformer phone is being made now, it has begun. Sarah is in hiding, she will return soon. John is building more.
Ajax do you not realize that people such as yourself are the main reason that people who actually care about the terminator franchise come to a point where they have no other choice but to in your words “cry and moan” . Really if this is how people will react to such pathetic attempts to make a few dollars at our expense , who really is to blame ? the phonies who put themselves in a position to make some money by toying with scripts and peoples fantasy franchises ? or the people who allow these phonies to make there quick buck by not only supporting their cause by watching the washed out films they produce , but actually attack those who actually care and defend those who were responsible for an extremely poor effort. People like this really get under my skin . Perhaps cameron has had enough of these leaches milking away his creation so he decided to create an entirely new franchise , hopefully avatar can become what the terminator franchise once was …
Its the machines, they don’t want you to know.
if anybody at the wb is reading this, or at halcyon. They should definity do the direct dvd movie and forget that terminater 4 ever happened and get josh Freedman to write and direct this,and base the rest of the terminater movies off this series. Because it isthe only way to bring respect back to the francise in my oppinion.
Ps I’m already in the process of getting my copy of season two.
Reply
you know im so angry and i love the show so much that , if iwas one of the actors i dont think i would come back
bing is made to think for you, machines are made to pay you, it’s been going on longer than you think & they’re getting stronger. I’m not joking.
I hope somebody else gets the franchise from them. McG and Halycon have been the Kiss of Death so far.
When are these people going to realize how many of us watch & enjoy this show. For crying out loud it’s the best show there is.
Can’t they just send a real Terminator back from the future to kill Pacificor and start another movie?
you know guys! the longer this goes without movement the harder it will be to make the movie or bring back the show
What is the current news about Halcyon’s bankruptcy? has there been any further developments since this story broke?
Terminator rights up for sale! Bankruptcy court may determine who ends up buying Terminator franchise.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-terminator29-2009sep29,0,5340733.story
what the hell? who is the franchise’s owner? for sale? why?
is a bad move they did… maybe the franchise is cursed by someone else. James Cameron must not sold the franchise. i hope the worst is over now.
I liked all the movies and also TSCC, though i have to admit that T3 had a bad story line but there were gun fights and Schwarzenegger being dragged through buildings. Get someone who can pull it off.
Complete
Terminator 5
Terminator 6
Conclude the Chronicles
After not hearing any further news, I found this tidbit:
(Its a month old now, but no one else has mentioned here.)
Halcyon given green light to continue developing T5
http://www.scifiscoop.com/news/judge-awards-halcyon-relief-to-make-terminator-5/
You know this just dawned on me, they’re already active (here) & do you think they are the ones fighting all this to prevent us from being aware of their bad happenings?
Also maybe its the ‘hero’s’ saving their jobs but they’re now going to Smallville, what is this detraction supposed to mean? Where’s John?
http://www.reelzchannel.com//movie-news/4454/terminator-salvation-producers-avoid-losing-rights-for-now
Backs up the scifiscoop link from the1Russter
Just learned this today! Halcyon is auctioning off Terminator!
http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=26186
That’s pretty sad, and a huge risk for Halcyon, not to mention the fact that no one in their right mind would actually get in on this auction.
The huge risk part… Halcyon COULD walk away with far less than they’ve put into the franchise thus far. Help me understand something, the1Russter…
How could Halcyon who, by all reports, make over $100 million in profits on Salvation from world-wide sales, NOT be able to recycle that money to make MORE money on the franchise? Am I missing something about the money changing, here?
Again, sad!!!
Don’t ask me. I don’t understand this anymore than you.
Good point! Maybe Halcyon bit off far more than they could chew? Other investors they borrowed from but never mentioned; whom they paid back and now they’re broke?
Suppositions?
I don’t understand it either. Halcyon made a profit. They are bound to get more revenue from DVD sales and broadcasts on cable and satellite. I think Pacificor who loaned them the money to purchase Terminator rights, tried to use their position as the lender to leverage more control of Halcyon. The problem came when they pulled their stunt before the revenue dollars actually began to come to Halcyon. The company was in debt at that moment and their only choice was to file bankruptcy to protect their assets. Now because of their filing they have to sell some assets to cover their debts. Their most valuable asset is Terminator so now they have no choice but to sell it.
So, maybe Pacificor’s operating officers should be brought up on charges of some sort. A judge CAN always take rulings and filings back as far as they want to go in order to change the outcome.
At the very least, reverse the bankruptcy filing, and put Pacificor’s filing on-hold pending review of Halcyon’s financial assets. How does that sound?
I really don’t know. That’s might be possible. I don’t understand law, let alone business/financial law. And the business world of Hollywood is even stranger.
Anything is possible, but if they sell, I hope WB gets the full rights or at least the controlling interest so we can get TSCC back.
Oh, man, no kiddin’… that would be great!
WB and Sony are two of the interested parties. Others are
mentioned in the article that I posted the link to there is a
full discussion happening on
http://terminatorwiki.fox.com/thread/3433476/Terminator+Franchise+to+be+Auctioned+Off
The War between FOX and WB continues
“Fox Networks went public today in what it said has been a fruitless nine-month-long carriage negotiations with Time Warner Cable, the No.2 U.S. cable company. It said there is the very real possibility that popular shows like American Idol and NFL Football could disappear from the air if you’re one of the Time Warner Cable’s nearly 14 million customers.”
The plot has spread across many networks, many shows, to bring back the Sarah, writers are going to have one heck of a job, unless it’s already too late…
I never even watched the series until I bought the dvd’s. I wish it woul comeback it was a kickass series. The best tv show I have ever seen!