For the past several months, we've been following a developing story around the "Terminator" franchise. Despite the solid box office performance of 2009's "Terminator Salvation," license-holder Halcyon Holding Corp. was forced to file for bankruptcy in the latter half of last year. The killer robot franchise has been up on the auction block for awhile, with studio frontrunners Lionsgate and Sony leading the charge.

We knew as of last week that the auction was scheduled for yesterday, and that the winner would become the new owner of all things "Terminator" moving forward: movies, TV, games, books, toys, etc. In an odd twist, it seems that the winner is neither Lionsgate nor Sony. It's not even a movie studio! The new owner of the "Terminator" franchise is hedge fund Pacificor, Nikki Finke reports for Deadline Hollywood. Wait though... this news gets even wackier. Read more...

A few weeks ago it looked like the "Terminator" franchise, which has been the subject of sale talk since late last year, might go to Lionsgate after the studio put in a bid for it. Now there's news that the seeming sure-thing top offer might not be so sure anymore.

There's been no comment from the studio, but Variety reports that a bid was placed by Sony on Thursday, the final day of the rights auction. Lionsgate had previously offered $15 million plus 5% of future grosses to current owners The Halcyon Group. The sale plans came about in September 2009, after Halcyon filed for Chapter 11. MTV has reached out to Sony for comment, but I wouldn't count on hearing anything definite until the sale is finalized next week. Read more...

Over at MTV Movies main, we posted an article exploring whether the Oscar nominations for “District 9” and “Avatar” could finally snap the Academy’s long-held sci-fi stigma. While writing it, I took a look at the list of the greatest sci-fi films of all time on IMDb -- ranked by hundreds of thousands of votes from moviegoers -– and was floored by some of the titles that earned little or no Oscar recognition.

Below are some particularly egregious crimes against the genre – with the actual Best Picture winner listed in parenthesis. You tell me – all these years later, which film is better remembered? Read more...

"Terminator Salvation" was a bit of a letdown. The myth of John Connor had long since been established by the three previous movies, and the writing in the latest just didn't support what fans had come to know. Instead of a charismatic natural leader inspiring a revolution, we got a gruff, brooding Christian Bale and a story that focused mostly on a robot suffering through an identity crisis.

The movie wasn't a dismal failure, not with $372 million in worldwide ticket sales, but that wasn't enough to keep producer and rights-holder the Halcyon Group from a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. The "Terminator" rights have been up for sale since September, though no one has been publicly revealed as a bidder until now. Lionsgate is the current frontrunner, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times. Read more...

James Cameron is no stranger to creating new forms of menacing cinematic creatures, though he may have finally topped himself in "Avatar" with the Na'vi.

There is certainly no shortage of dangerous flora and fauna that exists on the mysterious world of Pandora, but it's the Na'vi that pose the biggest threat thanks to their intelligence, speed, size and several other factors. It also doesn't help that human marines can link their brains up with Avatar versions of the alien race, adding a whole new skill set to a certain breed of Na'vi warrior.

Still, it's hard to say whether or not the Na'vi could hold their own against some of Cameron's other creations. Since we aren't likely to ever witness these showdowns, let's settle for the next best thing — hypothetical cage matches! Read more...

"Terminator" is back in the news these days, with the rights to the franchise on the auction block and "Terminator Salvation" director McG saying he's keen to make more series films despite the middling critical and box office reception of his first effort. James Cameron, the man who created this man-vs.-machine world, has gone ahead and made a little news himself.

In what we believe are his first comments after seeing "Terminator Salvation," Cameron sat down with MTV News' Josh Horowitz and discussed his expectations about the film, how it fits into the overall franchise mythology and if there's any chance he'll return to the series now that the rights are on sale to the highest bidder. Read more...

Prepare for nerdgasm in 3... 2... 1... COMMENCE!

Today's Daily TwitPic may not appeal to the entire Twilighter contingent reading this blog, but it will definitely appeal to fanboys and fangirls who appreciate marauding killer robots from the future and storytellers from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, California's own Gubernator, got to meet none other than George Lucas, creator of the "Star Wars" franchise. A Terminator and Jedi Master, going head-to-head. The picture is relatively tame, considering the great power these two men possess. I like to think that they're sizing each other up, preparing for some great battle. "Star Wars" would win naturally, since the ability to destroy -- or in Terminator's case, enslave -- a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force. It would be a hella cool showdown though. Hella cool. Read more...

Word is running rampant today that the rights for the "Terminator" franchise are being sold off for a pretty penny. This isn't the first time we've heard about the impending "Terminator" sale, nor is it the first time such a change-of-hands has occurred — but it is the first time that "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" and "Dollhouse" creator Joss Whedon has made a power play for the franchise.

In an open letter, Whedon offered a tongue-in-cheek appeal for ownership of the "Terminator" property, claiming that he would gladly purchase the franchise for $10,000 as soon as today should his offer be accepted. Read more...

History was made on Friday when Ryan Reynolds officially became the first actor to star as both a Marvel and DC Comics character. Fresh off of his spin-off spinning turn as Deadpool in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," Reynolds is now getting to headline a “Green Lantern” film.

The "Van Wilder" star is just one of many actors who have made the smart –- and profitable –- choice to double-dip in the biggest and the best film franchises. Here is a look at a few of Hollywood's other famous double-dippers. Read more...

Zoe Saldana is sci-fi’s newest leading lady, having scored herself the lead role in two of the most highly-anticipated, big-budget sci-fi flicks of 2009. After taking on the space frontier as Uhura in J.J. Abrams’s remake of “Star Trek,” and playing Neytiri in James Cameron’s ten-years-in-development vision “Avatar,” Saldana recently dished about what is was like to work with two of Hollywood’s most innovative filmmakers – as well as two upcoming movies that seem certain to be out of this world.

“It’s amazing for an actor to work with J.J. and Jim,” Saldana gushed. “They are similar in that they are exquisite at what they do, and they are young at heart.”

When comparing the two A-list directors, Saldana said: “J.J. has made a very important place for himself in Hollywood by being an exquisite writer. And Jim has done the same by being an amazing voyager and visionary, and a great filmmaker.” Read more...