“Terminator” Franchise Rights To Be Auctioned–And Joss Whedon Is In!

Yes, this can be yours! 

Say, kid, got some money lying around? Have you been saving up from your paper route? Or did you go to one of those houses that hands out change instead of candy on Halloween? If so, why not put it into reviving a recently revived action film franchise that needs another revival already?

ComingSoon (via the Financial Times, which requires registration, so I’m not linking) reports that the rights to the “Terminator” franchise will be auctioned off later this month. This would NOT be the rights to the original films, but the rights to make more sequels, TV shows, etc. Halcyon, the company that had picked up the rights a year or so ago and made this summer’s “Terminator Salvation,” is in Chapter 11, and selling off its properties.

“Terminator Salvation” sure felt like a failure here, a movie hated by critics and fans which faded into the dust as “Star Trek,” the “Transformers” sequel, the “Harry Potter” installment, and even “The Hangover” dominated the summer box office. But Nikki Finke, in Deadline Hollywood Daily notes that the film ended up making $380 million worldwide, so there’s still some value left in the “Terminator” name.

Because of that, all of the big studios are checking out the auction and considering leaping in. Even up-and-comer Summit Entertainment, bolstered by “Twilight” money is interested. But is there an auteur who can really turn the franchise around from a “well, it made money overseas because it has lots of robots and explosions” kind of movie into a true phenomenon, a la Christopher Nolan’s revival of the Batman franchise?

Yes! Ms. Finke has posted a letter from Joss Whedon, in which he offers Halcyon a scorching $10,000–yes, that’s ten thousand– for the franchise, and then lists some of his ideas. I’ll give you one:

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).

 I think you get the idea. You can go read the rest here.