In 2009, Halcyon accused Pacificor of extortion, bribery and fraud and demanded $30 million in compensation from Pacificor in a lawsuit. The Terminator had a wild ride in the late 2000s.
Timeline: On this day in 1999, two years after C2 Films purchased the rights to "Terminator", the sites for the two "Terminator" movies were planned. The plan is to develop them simultaneously.
Tedi Sarafian was hired to write Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, and he ended up getting credit for sharing the story. David C. Wilson will write "Terminator 4".
On this day in 2003, after the release of "Terminator 3", producers Andrew G. Vaina and Mario Casa signed a contract with Nick Starr and Claire Danes to The sequel stars John Connor and Kate Brewster. The script was written by John Brancato and Michael Ferris, with production scheduled to begin in 2005.
On November 17, 2003, Arnold Schwarzenegger was sworn in as the governor of California, which severely limited his participation in T4. In 2006, MGM planned to release the fourth film.
May 9, 2007 - The production rights of the "Terminator" series were handed over to Halcyon Corporation from the long-feuding Vajna and Kassar.
The producers hope to start a new trilogy. The deal was funded by a loan from Pacificor, a Santa Monica-based hedge fund. By July 19, the project was in a legal impasse due to a lawsuit between MGM and Halcyon subsidiary T Asset. MGM has an exclusive 30-day window to negotiate the release of the "Terminator" movies.
During the negotiations for "Terminator 4", Halcyon rejected their initial proposal and MGM suspended negotiations. After the 30 days were up, MGM claimed that the pause in negotiations did not count and that their exclusivity period was still open.
Halcyon applied to the court for an injunction allowing them to contact other dealers. Later, the lawsuit was settled, and MGM received a 30-day right of first refusal on the financing and distribution of "Terminator 5." (Source)
Warner Bros. acquired the U.S. distribution rights to "Terminator: Salvation" for $60 million. Sony Pictures also paid just over $100 million for international distribution rights.
May 5, 2008 - It was reported that the film started shooting with a budget of $200 million, almost twice that of "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and equivalent to T2's domestic box office total of $2.05 One hundred million U.S. dollars.
May 21, 2009 - "Terminator: Salvation" was released in theaters. Domestic box office total: $125,322,469 International box office total: $246,030,532
In August 2009, the producers of "Terminator: Salvation" filed for bankruptcy protection, according to the Los Angeles Times. Three companies owned by the producers of the movie "Terminator Salvation" filed for bankruptcy protection this week, documents show.
Producers Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek, who own the "Terminator" franchise, are also suing their chief executive, the newspaper said. Investor hedge fund Pacificor.
The Los Angeles Times stated that Anderson and Kubicek did not pay the money requested by Pacificor. Pacificor financed their purchase of the rights to The Terminator and provided two loans worth $9 million to their production company, Halcyon Co. (Los Angeles Times)
September 2009 - Terminator owners postpone their company's Judgment Day The financial situation of the duo behind Terminator: Salvation was not ideal. In August this year, Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek filed for bankruptcy protection. Now, a U.S. bankruptcy judge has freed up some funds so the duo's company, Halcyon Co., can continue developing future "Terminator" movies amid litigation with creditors. The Los Angeles judge waived $2.1 million in tax refunds owed by the company.
Anderson and Kubicek don't want to sell the franchise, which is worth more than $70 million, and they already have plans to make several more movies.