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Ellison Siblings Finally Close Deal for Terminator Rights to New Films

by Ethan Anderton
December 3, 2012

It's been a year and a half since a complicated rights deal began negotiations between Megan Ellison, founder of Annapurna Pictures and daughter of Oracle Corp. founder Larry Ellison, and Pacifcorp for the rights to the Terminator franchise. Now Deadline reports the deal has closed as Megan asked her brother David and his Skydance Productions banner to help out as a financial and creative partner. Now all Terminator films from here on out will both be under the Annapurna and Skydance names. However, the Terminator franchise has yet to find a new studio home, has no script and no longer has Fast Five director Justin Lin on board to direct, so there's no telling how soon we might actually see a sequel. More below!

Though Arnold Schwarzenegger agreed to come back as the Terminator, the real problem lied within the pricey deal for the franchise. But why? Well, the rights for Terminator revert back to James Cameron in 2019 and a studio wasn't sure they could have gotten a proposed three-film deal off the ground before the Avatar director gets his robots back. Of course, the law that allows his the rights to revert back to Cameron hasn't been tested yet so this might have all been for naught. But now the plan is to have two films made, and the Ellisons are starting from scratch.

These two siblings are quite the Hollywood powerhouse with Annapurna being behind some of the most acclaimed films of the year like The Master and Zero Dark Thirty, while Skydance has been pumping out blockbusters like Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol and the forthcoming films Jack Reacher, Star Trek Into Darkness and World War Z. Does this mean we might get to see someone like Tom Cruise join the resistance against machines, or maybe get J.J. Abrams on board for a Terminator movie? It's unlikely, but the prospect is interesting. Either way, Skydance has a home at Paramount so maybe the studio will end up getting on board. However, a new script is needed first, so we might be waiting a little while for updates.

Filed under Development, Movie News, SciFi

From around the web:

OfficialJab

I was looking forward to Lin directing a new Terminator flick, but as long as someone has it and it doesn't look like garbage, I'm sure I'll enjoy it. I liked Salvation. Cameron won't do anything when he gets the rights back, will he?
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Brian-Sleider/1847907840 Brian Sleider
  
  Proly not he will be milking Avatar till he dies...he slated to make what 5 total avatar movies, including the first
  - OfficialJab
    
    I didn't like it much, but I can definitely see Avatar improving each time. There seems to be a lot to that universe that we didn't get to see - instead we got a pretty simple story to go with the outstanding visual work. Too lopsided. I'd like to see the world that they've created get expanded much more, I read a few months ago that the next one will have a lot of underwater sequences. Now that piques my interest, James.
    - beevis
      
      anything would have to be better than the first - it was just a tech demo.
      - Xerxexx
        
        A live action Ferngully tech demo.
      - beevis
        
        you got it - for a guy of camerons talent - i thought avatar (except for the visuals) was a huge disappointment.
      - beevis
        
        flagged for stupidity.
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Christopher-Philip-Cinquegrano/100000932639147 Christopher Philip Cinquegrano
  
  It would probably be filmed underwater.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7YGEVuJ4mM Carpola

What I want to know is when are they going to make AVT - Alien versus Terminator? Or AVTP? Do people really care?
- mooreworthy
  
  By law, you would have to see a AvTP movie.
  - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7YGEVuJ4mM Carpola
    
    I know, I couldn't stop myself watching that, even if it was terrible I'd probably love it. I'm weak.
- R
  
  If it takes place on Pandora.
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Christopher-Philip-Cinquegrano/100000932639147 Christopher Philip Cinquegrano
  
  Robocop vs terminater was a good game back in the day for sega, too bad that'll never happen though.
grimjob

Well, if Cruise did join this franchise, he'd make a good T-1000, what with all the running he does.
- Cody W
  
  "You cant catch me gay thoughts!!"
  - grimjob
    
    Ha! That's exactly what ran through my head.
  - Cody W's gay thoughts
    
    I will catch you!!!!!!
http://twitter.com/equustel Ali Miller

First order of business: don't let Schwarzenegger near it. Terminator doesn't need him. The sooner people realize that about the franchise, the better. It's time to let go of him altogether.
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7YGEVuJ4mM Carpola
  
  Amen!
- R
  
  He's just too old to be playing a terminator.That's about it.Unless they will go for some shit like an aged machine with geriatric issues of human tissue part of the terminator.
Greg dinskisk

So, I'm assuming this means Whedon didn't win the bid for The Terminator... Sigh.
- http://twitter.com/FidelReyes_ Fidel Reyes
  
  You're not the only one with fallen hopes... sigh....
http://twitter.com/FidelReyes_ Fidel Reyes

James Cameron should have continued to work on Terminator... He's wasting the rest of his career on Avaturd :/
- avi
  
  amen!
  - http://www.facebook.com/people/Christopher-Philip-Cinquegrano/100000932639147 Christopher Philip Cinquegrano
    
    thank god somebody said it.
xtheory

must be fun being children of a billionaire and making movies as a hobby.
Richie G

Hope they give us more post Judgement day stuff. Salvation was pretty good, but I want more
BinaryChaos

Sign up Tom Cruise as John Conner! He would make that character badass as leader of the resistance. If that somehow happens and Tom Cruise shows some interest in the story you know dam well the script is good since Tom is known to excuse himself from mediocre scripts.
Rain Spider

Yeah great, If you're gonna bring Tom Cruise in, might as well bring Ahnold back too. They can have an old man fight.
silentjay

hmmmm Avatar sequels = matrix sequels!?!?!?!?!?