Variety report that similar to what happened with Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, the currently untitled fourth installment of the series is suffering from the same kind of legal problems that is halting the movie’s progression.
In their article, they claim that the Halycon Co. who now own the rights to the series are suing MGM for interfering with their right to negotiate for the distribution of the planned fourth film.
I’ve read the story at Variety three times now but I still can’t get a full understanding of what the full implications of all this are. As I understand it, Terminator 4 is likely to be delayed for quite some time if both sides are unwilling to budge on this matter. This is the kind of thing that stops movie’s getting going time and time again so maybe we shouldn’t be expecting a Terminator 4 movie for a while.
Instead, we can enjoy The Sarah Connor Chronicles T.V. series when it debuts later this year, although the trailer looked awful. Wanna refresh your memory…
One Comment
Yep, legal limbo by greedy WallStreet types determined to get every fucking penny on the plate. Happened with Spider-Man, Superman and it’s happened twice already with Terminator.
I remember during the 90’s when Coralco had the rights, then went under and became Cinergi who eventually got around to making a sequel to the ony hit they had in the last fifteen years. The idiots who wage these wars don’t realize that the longer they fight the more room they make for other properties, after which their previously “hot” idea has become old hat. They’re only hurting themselves.
The worst part is some version of this happens with almost every film property that that is optioned, adapted or is the casualty of a prodcution studio going under, see: Coralco. It almost doesn’t make sense to let Hollywood come along and get the flim rights to anything, because most of these production houses have such unbelieveably complicated and intricate “ownership” agreements, if somebody so much as sneezes the whole studio goes under.
If the producer who acquired a particular property quits or dies then there’s a war to see who gets it and everyone goes to court, where the outcome is always fucked up. When a new studio head inevitably takes over they’ll try to prove what bold creative badasses they are by throwing out everything that worked about the property (example: Transformers, Superman Returns) and adding shit nobody wanted, which ruins the franchise. Worst of all though is if the company goes under. Then their creditors, investors and owners sue and the film properties are seemed to be “assets” of the company so a bankrupty judge divvies them up.
It’s enough to make you wish Terminator had been made by one of the Big Boys.
One Trackback
[...] can tell (and I have read the list three times) I can see no word on JURASSIC PARK IV, THE HOBITT, THE TERMINATOR 4 or SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF [...]