By Borys Kit
May 10, 2007
The Terminator is coming back.The Halcyon Co. -- a recently formed, privately financed film development, production and financing company headed by co-CEOs Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek -- has acquired the franchise rights to the popular movie series from C2's Mario Kassar and Andrew Vajna, intending to make a new trilogy that would anchor their movie company.
The deal is said to be in the tens of millions of dollars.
"Terminator 4" will be based on a script by John Brancato and Michael Ferris, which was part of the transaction. Halcyon plans to immediately begin preproduction on the film. While no distribution agreement has been set, Halcyon is hoping that "T4" will be ready for release in the first half of 2009.
The deal includes the right to produce any future "Terminator" films, as well as all future merchandising and licensing rights, certain future revenue derived from "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," as well as certain rights in the television project "The Sarah Connor Chronicles" and the sole right to produce all future "Terminator" projects in any new or existing media.
Halcyon pursued the "Terminator" rights aggressively for several months, knowing that the series is one of the few recognizable properties out there not in the hands of a major studio. Halcyon also is concentrating on a merchandising and licensing push for the property.
Moritz Borman, who executive produced "T3" as the then-CEO of Intermedia Films, the movie's co-production financial partner, will act as producer on "T4." Former PolyGram Films marketing president Peter D. Graves will be executive producer and oversee marketing of the picture. Kubicek and Anderson will co-produce.
The rights to "Terminator" have changed hands several times.
Kassar acted as an exec producer for "T2," and he and Vajna acquired interests from Gale Anne Hurd -- who produced the first one and exec produced the second -- when the duo were creating C2 and making "T3." C2 was a new version of their Carolco banner, which was behind "T2."
Prior to co-founding Halcyon, Anderson was the founder and creative director of In the Mix, a boutique marketing and advertising agency, which was sold in 2000. Kubicek began his career in finance as a member of the American Stock Exchange and produced Halcyon's first feature "Cook-Off!"
Halcyon is repped by Alan Schwartz, Randy Paul and Vincent Chieffo of Greenberg Traurig.
www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/...u_content_id=1003583385