Terminator: Salvation - The NEW new thread

[FCEEVIPER]

doesn't she look like MJ in that picture?
weird. they got a natural red head to play a blond (gwen stacy)
and they got a natural blond to play a red hed (mary jane).

gotta laugh

So true, casting was a bit jacked up.

i'm telling you..she should have been MJ..

Agreed.

 

[Deaths Head II]

It's funny because I feel like we got great picks for both Peter Parker and Mary Jane in Spider-Man 3. The only problem was they were playing the wrong roles. Besides Howard as Mary Jane, I really feel Topher Grace could make a better Peter then Toby.

 

[Midnyte_Sun]

I think paying $35 and above is too much. But, I see Blu-ray dvd's are getting lower and are now at the price of regular DVD's.

I use my PS3, so really I haven't invested quite that much in Blu-ray per se. It's more of an added bonus for me of having a PS3.

Yeah it's an added bonus to the PS3, but to me Blu-Ray is an already dead format. I'm still waiting for the moment when I can download movies directly to a set top box in HD. The HD set top box would then be able to offer everything a Blu-Ray disc can offer as well as added functions and better online connectivity.

 

[Nightmare]

HD Top Box? Whens that come out?

 

[FCEEVIPER]

Producer Dan Lin on the Future of the TERMINATOR Franchise and the Ending of TERMINATOR SALVATION
by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub

Last night I posted the first of my “7 Days with Producer Dan Lin”. As I explained yesterday, I spoke at length with the Sherlock Holmes producer about not only his latest film, but everything he has in development. Since the conversation ran so long, I’ve decided to break up the interview into many smaller parts. Yesterday we covered the Lego movie and Gangster Squad, and today it’s about the Terminator franchise.

As one of the executive producers of Terminator Salvation, I decided to ask Lin what he thought about the ending they released versus the one that got shelved due to it leaking on the internet. I also asked him what’s the status of future Terminator movies and was Salvation a profitable experience for all parties.

Hit the jump for what he had to say:

The first things we talked about was the ending of Salvation. *spoiler alert* As most of you know, the original ending had Christian Bale dying and Sam Worthington replacing him as leader of the resistance. But to keep the resistance troops in the dark, they were going to take the skin off Conner’s body and put it on Sam Worthington’s Marcus character. That way Bale could continue to be the leader, even though he had died. While many were happy to see that ending thrown out, I’m one of those people that thought it was kind of cool.

But according to Lin, “I’m happy with the way things turned out. It was a bit derivative of Face/Off, you know, when Sam Worthington’s character goes back and he comes back up as Christian Bale his face has been changed, so I think…I know we’ve all talked about who should live at the end, who should go on for the next movie but it wasn’t, in our opinion, that original ending was taken from other movies and wasn’t as fresh.”

The other thing we discussed was future Terminator movies and who owns the rights. When I asked him the status he said:

“My understanding is that the rights are being sold. We’ll know more in the beginning of February. It’s being sold in an auction process. Several studios are bidding and independent financiers are bidding on the rights, but we won’t know until we go through the court auction process.”

What this means is, the future of any Terminator movies won’t be known until the dust settles next year.

But the big question for future Terminator movies is…were they profitable for the studios that financed them. After all, if the studios didn’t make any money, there won’t be any future movies no matter who owns the rights.

According to Lin, “My understanding is it was profitable for both studios. Warner Brothers domestically and also Sony internationally. But if you look at the numbers, clearly it was much bigger internationally than it was domestically, so I think it was probably more profitable for Sony than it was for Warner Brothers, but again I don’t look at their numbers.”

Here’s the transcript of our conversation regarding Terminator. Look for a lot more from producer Dan Lin tomorrow night or Saturday.

Collider: A lot got out about how the Terminator Salvation ending got changed. Personally, when I look back on Terminator now, the original ending that was going to be done with asking the question of what really makes you human seems like, honestly, the better ending vs. what was actually released. Do you, as a producer, you look back on that film and say maybe we should have done the other ending-the one we originally thought about, or are you happy with the way things turned out?

Dan Lin: I’m happy with the way things turned out. It was a bit derivative of Face/Off, you know, when Sam Worthington’s character goes back and he comes back up as Christian Bale his face has been changed, so I think…I know we’ve all talked about who should live at the end, who should go on for the next movie but it wasn’t, in our opinion, that original ending was taken from other movies and wasn’t as fresh.

Interesting. There’s been a lot of talk about if the ending hadn’t leaked online, would it have still been that ending? What ifs, if you will. There’s a lot of talk about lawsuits regarding Terminator, who owns the rights, etc, etc? Can you clarify what exactly is going on with future Terminator movies?

Dan Lin: My understanding is that the rights are being sold. We’ll know more in the beginning of February. It’s being sold in an auction process. Several studios are bidding and independent financiers are bidding on the rights, but we won’t know until we go through the court auction process.

Does that mean that Warner Brothers has no sort of ownership in future Terminator movies?

Dan Lin: We don’t know yet. Warner Brothers may be one of the future studios bidding. I don’t know because I don’t work for Warner Brothers, but don’t know. The actual studios bidding have not made themselves public.

So there is nothing that can figured out for future Terminator movies until after the bidding process and then whatever studio gets the rights can then do…this is basically….

Dan Lin: This is my understanding. I’m not a lawyer but that’s my understanding. As far as active as active development from what I understand there’s no active development in future Terminator movies until the court proceedings are completed.

I completely get it. The movie cost $100 and something million to make. It made world-wide $300 and something, I think?

Dan Lin: Um-hum. Close at $375 I believe.

Was it a “profitable” movie for all parties where there is excitement say on your end or from people who worked on the movie to once the rights are done, to possibly do another film?

Dan Lin: My understanding is it was profitable for both studios. Warner Brothers domestically and also Sony internationally. But if you look at the numbers clearly it was much bigger internationally than it was domestically, so I think it was probably more profitable for Sony than it was for Warner Brothers, but again I don’t look at their numbers. I don’t know. I’m guesstimating.

It’s very interesting that I use The Golden Compass conversation where if that movie had been owned by New Line worldwide, there would have been a sequel immediately, but because the foreign rights were owned by whoever and the domestic made no money, that movie is never having a sequel.

Dan Lin: Right, right.

That’s what I have been told.

Dan Lin: The Terminator franchise has always been huge internationally. It’s always been one that Arnold Schwarzenegger was one of the first guys who went out and promoted movies abroad and really worked the tours. So, historically the franchise has always skewed more international than domestic and then certainly with this movie that showed the same pattern.

 

[dark_b]

producer? looks like he is 19

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

That interview was bulls**t.

 

[GhostPoet]

Yeah it's an added bonus to the PS3, but to me Blu-Ray is an already dead format. I'm still waiting for the moment when I can download movies directly to a set top box in HD. The HD set top box would then be able to offer everything a Blu-Ray disc can offer as well as added functions and better online connectivity.

hehe, you are gonna be waiting a looooooong time before movie downloads because part of the general audience sadly. Blu-Ray will be here for quite some time, long after dvd has faded. Just like with VHS.

 

[FCEEVIPER]

That interview was bulls**t.

You would say that.

 

[hippie_hunter]

Does that mean that Warner Brothers has no sort of ownership in future Terminator movies?

If they decide to bid on the rights, then yes. But if someone else does, then no. The future owner though is rumored to most likely be Sony.

 

[Sam Fisher]

So whoever ends up owning the rights will have rights to all the movies and the show? Or what?

 

[FCEEVIPER]

I really hope WB gets it.

 

[Deaths Head II]

I just hope whoever gets it does something good with it.

 

[LostSon88]

Cameron: 'Terminator: Salvation Needed Schwarzenegger'


"The Terminator" creator James Cameron has criticized the recent sequel, insisting the new movie didn't feel "authentic" because Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn't in it.


Cameron wrote and directed the original 1984 movie which starred Schwarzenegger as a futuristic robot sent back in time, and returned to direct "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" in 1992.
The moviemaker sat out the third movie "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" in 2003 and had no involvement with the most recent installment, this year's "Terminator: Salvation."
Cameron admits the director, McG, did a good job reworking the story - but felt the movie was a disappointment without Schwarzenegger, who only made a brief cameo appearance in the new film.


He tells Ugo.com, "Interestingly, I think McG did a good job. I think he was almost too referential to the myths of the first and second film. He over-quoted them in a way. It didn't feel to me to be enough of a reinvention. The thing we did with the second film is that we reinvented the first film completely; spun it on its a** and made the Terminator the good guy, and came up with a whole new concept for a villain, it felt fresh.
"I didn't feel the fourth picture was fresh enough. It also lacked a certain stamp of authenticity because Arnold wasn't in it. I mean, he was in it briefly, digitally, but that's not the same thing.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/dailydish/detail?blogid=7&entry_id=53825

I concur...honestly, the film didn't really start feeling like Terminator until they reached Skynet and Connor meets the T-800.

If they could do it again, I would have had Arnold play the original leader of the resistance who takes Connor under his wing. He is a complete badass (think Dutch from Predator) who at the end of Salvation is captured and taken captive by Skynet who then probe him for both his military and knowledge of the resistance in addition to his physical structure, seeing as how he has proven to be quite a formidable foe against them. They use him as a model for their most advanced killing machine, the T-800.

Lead into the sequel where a T-800 attempts to infiltrate the Resistance to assassinate Connor (who is now the leader). They capture him and this T-800 is the one that John will eventually send back to 1994 (ala T2).

Alas it'll never happen but this is what I think would've been great for the franchise.

 

[Rishi]

Not a TERRIBLE idea but imo what they did was fine... the Terminator is not about Arnold, it's about John Connor and the resistance.

If anything Arnold should be a peer instead of a superior - we've already seen the father/son relationship between the two, revisiting it would just be harkening back to T2 and not "reinventing", really.

 

[Red Mask]

Those last two interviews both used the word 'fresh'. That phrase already sounds old coming from them. So it's no wonder Cameron now believes the franchise is exhausted.

 

[FCEEVIPER]

I just hope whoever gets it does something good with it.

Agreed.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

You would say that.

I calls it as I sees it.

 

[Red Mask]

I hope WB buys it. Then we can have Terminator: True alvation.

 

[Nightmare]

I calls it as I sees it.

Can you elaborate why that interview was complete ********?

 

[FCEEVIPER]

I hope WB buys it. Then we can have Terminator: True alvation.

The WB is proud to present: Terminator Returns

t:

 

[Terminator]

I think having Arnold or Robert Patrick as a human is a terrible idea. I only want to see Arnold as a T-800 and Patrick as the deadly T-1000 not a freaking scientist.

 

[dude stannis]

I really hope WB gets it.

I hope WB buys it. Then we can have Terminator: True alvation.

Aren't they never makng R rated tentpole films again? No thanks. Give it to Universal.

 

[Ipodman]

Im getting the Salvation DVD real soon... (like tomorrow prolly)
i'll tell u guys how i think it stacks up against Revenge of the Fallen
Not like anyone cares really but well, they're robots so...

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Not a TERRIBLE idea but imo what they did was fine... the Terminator is not about Arnold, it's about John Connor and the resistance.

If anything Arnold should be a peer instead of a superior - we've already seen the father/son relationship between the two, revisiting it would just be harkening back to T2 and not "reinventing", really.

Agreed, there is much more to the franchise than that, they just spent too much on TS and made some wrong decisions, nothing to do with Arnold.