Joss Whedon wants to buy Terminator

Posted by admin on November 3, 2009

Yep you read that right : the guy behind Buffy, Angel, Dollhouse and more is willing to buy the Terminator franchise for… $ 10′000.–

An Open Letter to the Terminator Owners. From a Very Important Hollywood Mogul

Dear Sirs/Ma’ams,

I am Joss Whedon, the mastermind behind Titan A.E., Parenthood (not the movie) (or the new series) (or the one where ‘hood’ was capitalized ’cause it was a pun), and myriad other legendary tales. I have heard through the ‘grapevine’ that the Terminator franchise is for sale, and I am prepared to make a pre-emptive bid RIGHT NOW to wrap this dealio up. This is not a joke, this is not a scam, this is not available on TV. I will write a check TODAY for $10,000, and viola! Terminator off your hands.

No, you didn’t miscount. That’s four — FOUR! — zeroes after that one. That’s to show you I mean business. And I mean show business. Nikki Finke says the Terminator concept is played. Well, here’s what I have to say to Nikki Finke: you are a fine journalist and please don’t ever notice me. The Terminator story is as formative and important in our culture — and my pretend play — as any I can think of. It’s far from over. And before you Terminator-Owners (I have trouble remembering names) rush to cash that sweet cheque, let me give you a taste of what I could do with that franchise:

1) Terminator… of the Rings! Yeah, what if he time-travelled TOO far… back to when there was dragons and wizards? (I think it was the Dark Ages.) Hasta La Vista, Boramir! Cool, huh? “Now you gonna be Gandalf the Red!” RRRRIP! But then he totally helps, because he’s a cyborg and he doesn’t give a s#&% about the ring — it has no power over him! And he can carry it AND Frodo AND Sam AND f@%& up some orcs while he’s doing it. This stuff just comes to me. I mean it. (I will also offer $10,000 for the Lord of the Rings franchise).

2) More Glau. Hey. There’s a reason they’re called “Summer” movies.

3) Can you say… musical? Well don’t. Even I know that’s an awful idea.

4) Christian Bale’s John Connor will get a throat lozenge. This will also help his Batwork (ten grand for that franchise too, btw.)

5) More porn. John Connor never told Kyle Reese this, but his main objective in going to the past was to get some. What if there’s a lot of future-babies that have to be made? Cue wah-wah pedal guitar — and dollar signs!

6) The movies will stop getting less cool.

Okay. There’s more — this brain don’t quit! (though it has occasionally been fired) — but I think you get my drift. I really believe the Terminator franchise has only begun to plumb the depths of questioning the human condition during awesome stunts, and I’d like to shepherd it through the next phase. The money is there, but more importantly, the heart is there. But more importantly, money. Think about it. End this bloody bidding war before it begins, and put the Terminator in the hands of someone who watched the first one more than any other movie in college, including “Song of Norway” (no current franchise offer).

Sincerely, Joss Whedon.

Filed Under: Sarah Connor Chronicles Comments: 67 Comments to Read

kirirur said,

One thing: “2) More Glau. Hey. There’s a reason they’re called “Summer” movies.”

Quote for truth, Joss, quote for truth!
glau-coma said,

season 3 if not direct to dvd movie
glau would do it. sureshe shooting that western now but she can take time to do two movies at the time
Ban_D said,

This guy is just…
…COOOOOL!
Seriously: I’m curious what Joss would get out of the Terminator franchise. (With all his friends – including Summer of course! – in it.)
It would be really interesting and nice to see!
olischulu said,

I really think that´s a joke.
Ninou said,

Yeah … I think that too ….

Not really serious … Whedon for TSCC ???

I want Josh Friedman … cause he’s a genius with that show …

and unfortunately, evene if Joss Whedon is great, he’s not very lucky with his shows XD !!
Danny said,

Gotta love that sense of humour! Terminator Of The Rings – now THAT’S a movie I wanna see!
theVIC said,

LoL, at least he tried =)
and 2) is absolutly right!!
case said,

Although Joss is kind of kidding obviously he did say that he’d do something with the franchise if he could buy it for real. I wonder if he’d involve Josh again as a writer though since he was genuinely a fan of T:SCC.
Richard said,

I hope it buys it and creates really cool films as 3 and 4 were terrible and that he brings Summer into the films.
I hope he brings back TSCC for Summer as she was the best actress in the show in her portrayal of our faviorate cyborg Cameron.
Brian_R said,

The letter should cause a Show-Biz buzz, even if only a joke.
2) Damn straight! (more Summer Glau);
TSCC Direct to DVD movie;
TSCC ReBoot with original cast if possible;
A space western Terminator style.
Endless possibilities.
Ise said,

That´s a bunch of foolish nonescence… All the ideas presented in his letter don´t seem very plausable to me. OK, as a huge fan of Summer and Cameron, I would definetely love to see more of Terminator and more Cameron. There would be a possibility for Josh Friedman to keep being the mastermind, IF, the case of Joss Whedon buying the franchise would really be true… But as I said, that´s foolish nonescence… What a pity though…!
David Abernethy said,

lol its clearly a joke by the way it is written he is taking the mick out of the terminator directors for what he beleives is ruining a franchise. He might of been drunk but I don’t think he will be able to buy it for 10000 lol nice that he mentioned Summer
Estefferson Torres said,

I saw that! He’s impossible! The guy is hilarious!:D
Dapper Dan Man said,

… Am I the only one who finds Johnny’s comment vile and highly inappropriate? I really wish there was a report button for this kind of rubbish.

Well, here I go making myself unpopular, again, I guess.
sipovic said,

Even if this is a joke, still in Whendon’s hands Terminator franchise will be much more safe then in McG’s..
Tunkika (Croatia) said,

Ha I always said if Joss were to write Terminator – the Sarah Connor Chronicles, it would be the best of both worlds. Not that the show wasn’t amazing already, I really loved it and I still do and I still haven’t goven up on the idea. I hope that Summer hasn’t either.
Dapper Dan Man said,

“Up”? I think the word you were looking for is “off”.
ruknight said,

Respect to Josh!!! ))) Wery lambent humour ))))
ruknight said,

i mean Joss
48ULTIMATE said,

Hm,very intresting.I hope this is not a joke.
jr said,

Classic letter
kite said,

I think that it’s stupid and not funny at all.
Dave_E said,

Well very happy for a few seconds until I came crashing back to reality – people shouldn’t be so cruel

I wish he could buy it…. Maybe we would get a movie out of it – look how well he did with Serenity as a follow on from Firefly.
Gwynn said,

Actually Mr whedon seem to have done that to show how stupid it is to sell the terminator franchise. A thing i can just agree with… It was very humorous from him, and a bit bitter too. But as most of his masterpieces have been canceled lately…
To tell the truth it seems that Tv has just room for worn out concept, and big money reasons.
Uwe said,

I bit always $1000 more than Whedon to prevent Terminator to become Dollhouse scrap.
Jorge said,

10,000 dollars lol if that’s what it takes i’ll buy the franchise and write and direct the true sequel to Judgment Day myself and try to erase the memory of the godawful Terminator 3 and Salvation.
Dwnldz_5 said,

I lol’ed at first reason.
I totally agree with second reason. And if its combined with porn part..

/quitB4ban
glau-coma said,

Perhaps he’s referring to the now infamous bedroom scene.
maybe that’s what he means anyways, yeah let’s do this direct to dvd movie thing!!!

Follow a good fan fic and have it pick up EXACTLY where s2 left off!
Brandon Parker said,

Yeah I don’t think he should buy the franchise I am going to buy the Franchise yes I am a fan of the Terminator and I want to make the Terminator show the way it was was told to be in the first 3 movie Arnold has to be in the Terminator show show and this time a bad guy like they did for the 3 minute cameo of Arnold in Terminator Salvation but his cameo was too short.
k0c said,

I’m really thinkin’ it’s only lame joke. Or lame PR.
PMGStubbs said,

more Glau please! i agree with that lol funny article lol
Alexis said,

Not funny at all.
Patrick Hall said,

I love the more summer Idea, and the TSCC dvd movie.But even if this were true,Yes Joss Whedon would probably be better then McG. but i dont see it happening.now a days the Terminator movies are nothing but big blockbuster summer movies made for one reason and one reason only,to make a whole crap load of Money,just like Transformers.even if James Cameron had stayed involved with The Terminator Franchise,T3 and Terminator Salvation still Probably would have ended up with less story, and a whole lot more action and explosions.
glau-coma said,

They’dve been a lot better than they are now AND DON’T KNOCK THE TRANSFORMERS
glau-coma said,

and for those of you who think he’s joking:

http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2009/11/02/joss-whedon-terminator-bid/
^
^
that right there says it!
Kent said,

“Summer movies.” HAR!
glau-coma said,

so let’s talk movie.
“1) Terminator… of the Rings! ”

That he was joking about

“2) More Glau.”

Definately AGREE

“3) Can you say… musical? Well don’t. Even I know that’s an awful idea.”

I needn’t say anything.

“4) Christian Bale’s John Connor will get a throat lozenge.”

Yeah you can tel how much he prefers Thomas Dekker over Mr. Dark Knight (which I’m also NOT GONNA KNOCK cuz it was a great movie but not T4 SALV–mediocre)

5) More porn.

Only if it involves JAMERON!

6) The movies will stop getting less cool.”
AGREED!

I’ll admit I had the hots for kristanna lokken until Summer played a Terminator which proves even if you were watching just for the chicks TSCC STILL BEATS THE CRAP OUT OF T3 ANYDAY OF THE WEEK!
IMHO Christian bale should just stick to Batman
More glau and More porn in the same sentence isn’t that bad so anyone distusted by it please GET A FREAKING SENSE OF HUMOR! This increases the chances for Summers sucess by a ten fold and all you ppl who’d rather she be a nobody than famous….. WTF?
I WANNA SEE HER GET FAMOUS…. YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?
Patrick Hall said,

glau-coma, tru dat. and i wasnt knocking the Transformers. I loved both movies, and i was just telling the truth. I’ve had plenty of people tell me i’m an idiot for liking Revenge Of The Fallen cuz the story sucked. my response to everyone who says this was and will always be, “Hey if U walked into Transformers Revenge Of The Fallen expecting to see The Godfather with Giant alien robots, I think your the idiot”.Transformers and Terminator are what they are, Big budget hollywood blockbuster action movies,not The Godfather or Ben Hur with giant robots, and trigger happy Terminators.
kite said,

I hear clear irony in that letter.
I hear Joss says:
“Terminator is dead, guys. Live with it. You can try, but you can’t beat Cameron’s movies even close.
All you can get from it will be Terminator of the Rings Porn with Summer Glau dancing ballet.”
Probably he just tries to draw attention to a sinking DH.
Russellfromtheuk said,

Joss and Josh on one project may be an awesome idea if nobody has thought of that even better story and concepts. More Summer for sure Gotta Go For Glau it isnt Terminator without her. I hope this happens
formytots0128 said,

Thanks for posting, Cristelle.

Josh Whedon certainly has a good sense of humor. It shows in his writing style, directing, and friendship with his cast of actors. I am glad that he even thought of writing about “Terminator” and including Summer Glau. It is not to make fun of the Terminator genre but rather by the way it has been mishandled lately by Halcyon. Josh somewhat alluded to be a big fan of futuristic world’s gone bad and the human drama behind it and so this is definitely right up his alley of interest. Thanks Josh for also being a fan of the early Terminator movies. Those were definitely classic and much loved by us TSCC fans.
Gwynn said,

I don’t wanna troll the subject, but Terminator is precisely not to be put in the in the hollwood blockbusters action movies. At least it wasn’t at the beginning. What Josh whedon may want to underline is that it became something too commercial, something you would’nt think has beeen imagined by a visionnary such as Cameron but by a cartoon tv producer who want to sell robot toys to children… (sorry for transformer fans, but that’s where the license come from)
I won’t reply because i don’t wanna poison the subject, but according to me, the fact that, nowadays, after so many sequels and not all that good, you can put Transformers and Terminator aside and see no difference, is precisely what mr Whedon is trying to denounce
arggen said,

Do not fu*k with the TERMINATOR.
I want to see ‘more Summer’ too ,but that is ….
hansioux said,

i can’t wait for a Terminator musical!!! maybe Arnold could yodel.
J-MANN said,

I thank you for Firefly Joss, and I don’t care Much for buffy Cause I Personally think You took SLAYER from The Band But you better make it mean something like that Show Missed and your Darling Summer Which I love as an Actress and if you need any help or if you don’t have the Nuts to put your Nuts on the Table and make an effort to make a ” Platinum Show ” Hell How many damn John Connors we gonna have and let me guess your gonna be the next Terminator, Do you Getcha Pull Off of Porno?
Here is an Idea How about Ron Jeremy as your fruity Terminator Instead Cause Yeah thats How the Shows Gonna Be But yeah I got tons upon Millions of Ideas just for you and here is my E-mail: ecnelive@gmail.com

Thanks Joss and I hope we can Get Our Pull, LOL…
-Jerrit Hansen AKA J-MANN
Mack said,

I really can’t tell if Joss is being serious, though I do understand he’s a big Terminator fan.

That said, it’s been proven through two lackluster sequels and a borderline mediocre TV series (except for Summer; she ALWAYS rocks, even when the material doesn’t) that Terminator cannot be good without its original creator, Mr. Cameron, behind the wheel.

So let’s just get over it and move on.
Cgraco said,

lol
“2) More Glau.” it’s good^^

lord of terminator asudhasudh
glau-coma said,

to all the naysayers TSCC was IMHO as good as Cameron’s works and not just because of Glau. it had heart and storyline to it. and I WANNA SEE IT CONTINUE Please don’t be joking Joss
Gwynn said,

i agree with Glau Coma IMHO Tscc opened lots of new doors for the terminator fans, eventhough some episodes were not as good as the rest, still it had some really interesting plots, and what’s more cruel, it kept getting more and more intense, and with its brutal cancellation, we’re left with so many questions unanswered, so many hopes never to be fullfilled, and such a hunger for more developpements…
I can only agree with joss bitterness, but open your eyes folks, they ‘re never gonna sell the franchise for 10 000… (otherwise i sell my cars and stuff and try to invest in the project ^^)
Richard Steven Hack said,

A very funny piece. Clearly Joss’ intent was to point out the problems the Terminator franchise has had under the Halcyon banner.

Not least of which was the disaster that was TSCC – which may well have contributed to the failure of T-4, at least in terms of turning off viewers to the franchise concept. As many may know, I personally think Josh Friedman should be banned from ever doing broadcast TV again. He had no sci-fi cred to be doing anything Terminator-related, he had no broadcast show running experience, and he clearly had no idea where to take the show, at least in a manner that would produce a reasonable level of success in the TV market – which is a producer’s job – to keep a show on the air earning money for the network and the studio and the production company paying his salary. Failure is its own explanation. Friedman never understood what Terminator was about and imposed his own concept which simply did not sell to the viewers.

I could see Joss perhaps producing an effective Terminator movie. He’s got a sufficiently “bent” personality to make a good dark movie but also smart enough to understand the original franchise. The only issue might whether he has too much ego – like Friedman had – to think he was smarter than James Cameron and rewrite the franchise concept. That was what did in TSCC and to some degree what did in both T-3 and T-4. Both Friedman and McG thought they could do better than James Cameron. They couldn’t, and they didn’t.

In any event, if someone else does buy the rights from Halcyon, this could be a good thing or a bad thing. It just depends on the suits and who they end up hiring for the next round of franchise development. They could do worse than Joss Whedon, despite the problems Dollhouse has.
Joey said,

I think he just want’s in on Terminator, so whichever company buy’s the rights, Whedon want’s to be part of it.
David said,

Richard Steven Hack is a lamer. TSCC was a great show imo. And if you think T2 was a perfect movie then I want some of what you are smoking.

T2 was a buddy-flick. It was not a true horror movie like the original. TSCC was at least as good as T2, I believe it was better. The whole liquid metal was when Cameron Jumped The Shark. It was dumb. Then you got Furlong… the ever so annoying Furlong. Thomas D. did a much much better job as John Connor than anyone before him.

James Cameron is not a God, Titanic was garbage. You need to quit worshiping him like he is the 2nd Coming.

Friedman did a good job, people would just rather watch American Idol. I think your problem is you lack the imagination to see where Josh was taking the show. But some people need to be spoon-fed their entertainment. Try Everybody Loves Raymond.

Joss Whedon would do a good job with Terminator. Maybe even a better job then Cameron did in T2.

The Terminator is the Holy Grail though, NOTHING will ever top that.
Gwynn said,

Do you think that screaming make you sound right and mature?
People have the right not to love TSCC, eventhough they probably did not watch it completely, so their judgement is not always to be taken seriously. Because the really good stuff with tscc were the long lasting plot, something that took time to take place and grow. (cameron evolution, cromartie having not the same plans than skynet, john henry etc…) People that only watched an episode here and there missed them… And if they watched just some of the worst episodes (cause according to me not every episode were at top level, some were, but not every one)
Something that can get any fan, or any intelligent being angry, it’s that people keeps on judging, they don’t know how to say “i didn’t like” (which only speaks for themselves), they say “it was crap” (and thus they deny the show and the people that loved it), and that’s shocking.
Tony said,

I remember Richard Steven Hack. He was a loud mouth poster who constantly bashed the show but I never paid attention to him. Until he spoiled the ending of TSCC. He supposedly had a leaked script and tried to ruin it for everyone in the final week by leaking the major details with malicious intent. Now I see this worm has found his way here.

About TSCC, it was a great show and it dared to go against the mainstream crap that is tv nowadays. It wasn’t perfect, they kinda ignored Cameron in the second season and only used her to stare out in the distance most of the time. The introduction of Riley and crazy Sarah. But I’m convinced Friedman would make up for that by focussing on Cameron in the third season after she regained her body.

Now we have to settle for Summer on Dollhouse which is much better than nothing but it doesn’t even come close to Cameron on TSCC, not by a longshot.
Gwynn said,

for those who didn’t, try to look for Summer in Firefly, eventhough the show is dead, and long buried… She’s not the main character, but hell, River Tam was something…
Tony said,

Whedon wants in on the Terminator universe can only be a good thing. It means Glau for us and his wit could come handy. It would be best if he and Friedman worked together on this but I doubt Friedman will have anything ever to do with the Terminator franchise. He kinda burned his bridges when he got fired. If Whedon had been part of season 2 he would have corrected Josh is some of the storylines.

But Whedon isn’t flawless, Dollhouse is really not good material, down to the core of it, it’s only just about rape.
Tony said,

@Gwynn

River Tam was something indeed! A marvellous character also cut before her prime.
Gwynn said,

Dollhouse is not just about rape. If you forget “the daily sexual adventure of echo”, which are, to me, unappealing, there’s also a lot of moral dilemna, and a bit of philosophy. If you follow the doctor sanders plot for example, it’s really intersting (to me) and well written.(and Amy Acker is a pretty good actress)What would you do if you realised that you’re just a programmed character, would you hate your maker or try to hurt him, or resign? Would you try to recover your own personnality even if that involves that the person you are today would no longer be? Could you live with all your moves programmed? Or is there still a place for your free will?
The morality of Adele De Witt or the godlike feeling of Topher are also interesting…Not to mention the creepy future all this leads to, as we saw in the Epitath one episode.
But the Dushku playmate of the day… I just cant.
(again its only personnal feeling)
I did not yet see Summer new character, but i’m looking forward to it.
polari said,

We need a third season
Joe said,

must have a third season
Patrick Hall said,

@Richard Steven Hack, dude usually everyone who takes over a franchise from its creator thinks they can do better.In some cases, they do do better then its creator.Prime example Star Trek.Its no secret that Roddenberry hated the majority of Trek sequels after star trek 1,cuz they didnt live up to Roddenberry’s vision of the future.he fought with Paramount,but unlike Roddenberry Paramount knew what was required to make a blockbuster movie.and what happened, we got Nick Meyer and Harve Bennet and Star Trek II the wrath of khan. star trek III was ok, but IV was cool Trek V was accepted, and thanks to the return of Nick Meyer Star Trek VI was awesome Yo!

Getting back to the topic, shouldn’t James Cameron share the blame for where the Terminator Franchise ended up movie wise? didnt he own the majority of the franchise? If he did, then James Cameron had the power to stop it all before the awesome T3 and awesome Terminator Salvation were ever made,yes I loved both T3 and T4. sadly this means that there probably would never have been a Terminator tv show starring The Lovely Summer Glau if James Cameron had done this.Point is if there is anyone to blame for where the terminator franchise is,it ’s probably James Cameron.cuz if he did own the majority of the franchise,i’m sure no one twisted his arm to get him to sell the franchise to whomever.
Mes said,

Ai ai ai Jos… good luck for us…and more Sum for us…
formytots0128 said,

The Terminator franchise is very much alive and still continues to generate fans of all ages. Just go to any of the Universal Studios theme parks in California, Florida, and Japan where they feature the live action “T2-3D: Battle Across Time”. This show incorporates real life actors and awesome 3D theatrics. The show is still packed and plenty of cheers at the end. Its been around for many years and has built a good base of Terminator aware fans. Definitely a must attend show for all Terminator fans if you happen to be visiting the area. I saw it again this Summer and was pleased at the positive reaction of the viewers. Its no wonder that the Terminator franchise is still alive and well. We just need good direction and vision to keep it going. Josh Whedon seems to want to take a shot at it.

Here is the link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T2_3-D:_Battle_Across_Time
May19 said,

Although this whole thing seems like a total joke, I do wish our favourite terminator would come to big screen someday…It could be much better than T4
Chris Roberts said,

Whoever ends up with the Terminator rights It may be best
for the envitable next film to contunie from where the Sarah Connor chronicles left off.What are Terminator fans more Intrested in a TS sequel or a revial of the
Sarah Connor Chronicles.I think we all know the answer to that question.
formytots0128 said,

Either Universal Studios or Disney Studios should make a bid for the Terminator franchise. Universal Studios already feature the T2-3D at their theme parks. Disney can add to their Marvel Comics acquisition at a fraction of the cost. It makes good business sense for them to do this.
Pickers said,

Terminator the musical would not be such a bad idea. Axl Rose could score it. Lots of 80’s hair and piano interludes and every now and then a dude in a top hat plays a bitchin’ solo in front of a church and Summer could play the bride… I seem to have veered off course but you get the picture.