Today was the last day of bidding for rights to the Terminator franchise and entering the day only one studio, Lionsgate, had submitted a bid. As the bidding period came to a close it appears another player has swooped in with an offer.
Per Variety, sources are claiming Sony has put down a bid for Terminator for an undisclosed amount. The studio has yet to opening confirm the bid.
Lionsgate’s bid a few weeks ago was for $15 million plus a 5% cut of future gross receipts. Should they lose to Sony, they would still receive a $750k “breakup fee.”
We should know who will win the rights to future Terminator films, home video releases and merchandise by next Wednesday at the latest. A final ruling could be known as early as Monday when the formal live auction takes place.
It is widely expected that whoever wins the rights will move forward on developing Terminator 5 with their own hand-picked story, cast and crew. After the disappointment many moviegoers experienced with Terminator 4, a clean slate is the path fans are holding out hope for.
