Avatar Star Joins Terminator

Variety is reporting that Aussie star Sam Worthington has been signed to co-star with Christian Bale in Terminator Salvation.  He will play Marcus, a “central figure in a three-picture arc that begins after Skynet has destroyed much of humanity in a nuclear holocaust.”

At the moment, Worthington is starring in Avatar which is being directed by former Terminator director, James Cameron.  Rumor has it that Cameron suggested the actor to T4 director McG during a recent phone conversation.

Cameron’s lack of involvement in the Terminator franchise has been the subject of much discussion but it’s just one more piece of the Terminator rights puzzle that goes like this:

“T3″ was owned by Mario Kassar and Andy Vajna, who years ago bought the rights at a Carolco bankruptcy auction out from under Cameron, prompting the director to remove himself from involvement. And the “T3″ rights package included a multimillion-dollar rights buyout and exec producer credit for Gale Anne Hurd, Cameron’s former partner and ex-wife. He famously signed over his “Terminator” rights for $1 to her before they made the first film, in exchange for a guarantee he wouldn’t be replaced as director. It was a deal that left him on the outside looking in as everyone else cashed in on “T3.”

Terminator rights for $1.  That makes the sale of Manhattan look like a bad deal. 

Source: Variety