We know Terminator 5 has been picked up by Paramount Pictures, along with Megan Ellison and her brother David. However, the Ellisons only have claim over the rights until the year 2019. What happens to the franchise after that, you ask? The rights to The Terminator franchise will be regained by James Cameron, director of the ’84 original.
The financing details are as such: Megan Ellison of Annapurna Pictures, who staked her claim on the fifth installment last year, will account for 33%. David Ellison and his company Skydance Productions will also contribute 33%. The rest will go to Paramount. This is not the first time Annapurna and Skydance have teamed up, as the recent Tom Cruise actioner Jack Reacher was also a product of their partnership.
While The Terminator rights would be back in James Cameron’s hands, this does not necessarily mean he will be adding to the series. It is highly unlikely he will be directing more Terminator movies any time soon, as he has dedicated a large portion of his time (some would say a foolish amount of his time) to expanding his Avatar universe. Cameron will have the option of giving the rights back to the Ellison siblings or Paramount though, so it will be interesting to see what happens.
Arnold Schwarzenegger will be returning for Terminator 5 and he believes filming should begin in early 2014. Even at 65 years of age, the actor shows no signs of slowing down. Schwarzenegger recently appeared in The Expendables 2 and starred in The Last Stand, and has multiple projects lined up.
The future of the Terminator franchise will most likely be determined by the fifth film’s success. Many audiences did not appreciate the previous installment, Terminator Salvation, and many of those who did enjoy it still agreed that stretching out the series was unneeded. Simply bringing Schwarzenegger back will not be enough to prove to fans that more can be done with the story focused on the fight against technocracy. Terminator 5 will have to be something truly special in order to stand up next to its groundbreaking predecessors.
What do you think? Are you looking forward to the next instalment in The Terminator series?