Warner Bros. is prepping the fourth installment of the "Terminator" franchise, now reportedly the film will "reinvent" the premise.
08/27/2007 - Arnold Schwarzenegger - © Chris Hatcher / PR Photos
Variety reports that Warner Bros. has acquired North American distribution rights to "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins," triggering an early 2008 production start for a film reinventing the cyborg storyline, to be told over a three-picture span.
Warner Bros. plans to distribute "Terminator Salvation" in summer 2009.
The "Terminator" picture franchise received a leg up when the privately funded production house Halcyon and its co-CEOs Victor Kubicek and Derek Anderson teamed with "Terminator 3" executive producer Moritz Borman to acquire film, merchandising and licensing rights from ex-Carolco partners Andy Vajna and Mario Kassar.
Kubicek, Anderson and Borman are producing the new film, with Peter D. Graves as executive producer, according to Variety.
Variety reports, "WB had first right of negotiation for domestic theatrical and TV distribution rights because the studio played the same role on 2003's Jonathan Mostow-directed 'Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.' "
That picture turned in a domestic gross of $150 million and a worldwide total of $427 million.
The producers said that the new film will have an event-sized budget.
It will likely be less than the $200 million pricetag of "Terminator 3," which was full of extravagant costs that included above the line payouts, rights payments and heavy fees incurred through a complex financial structure.
Warner Bros. is also producing a smallscreen "Terminator" adaptation, "The Sarah Connor Chronicles," for Fox's midseason line up.
Sony Pictures Entertainment, which distributed "T3" in most overseas territories, is expected to get first crack at a reprise.
Several other territories are spoken for, including Japan, where Toho-Towa is expected to distribute once again.
The screenplay has been completed by "Terminator 3" writers John Brancato and Michael Ferris, and the financiers and studio are close to locking a director.
James Cameron directed the first two "Terminators," and used contemporary settings to pit Sarah and John Connor against indestructible cyborgs.
"T3" was also set in the present day and ended just as the machines initiated a nuclear apocalypse.
"Terminator Salvation" was deliberately not given a number after its title, because Halcyon plans for the fourth film to head into an entirely different setting.
"This is set in the future, in a full-scale war between Skynet and humankind," Anderson told Variety.
Borman said: "The third film was really the conclusion of what happened in the 'now.' You will find the most-loved characters, but the intention here is to present a fresh new world and have this be the first of a trilogy."
Variety reports the possibility of Arnold Schwarzenegger returning, even for as cameo, is a potential reality depending on the Governor's schedule.
"We've left it open for him to maybe do a cameo," Borman said. "He has an important job, as we know, and the final decision will be based on his desire and availability, along with what the director wants."
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