Legal Battle Erupts Over Terminator Movie

Executives at production company Hannover House were set to start work on Terminator 3000, a new 3D animated reboot of the action movie series, which originally starred Arnold Schwarzenegger.

But officials at Pacificor, the firm which holds the rights, have now sent a cease-and-desist letter in a bid to halt production on the new film, which would be the fifth movie in the series following 2009's Terminator Salvation.

An excerpt of the letter, obtained by Deadline.com, reads, "Knowledge (of this project) came as a surprise to Pacificor. It did not license or authorise any such development or film. Indeed, it has not been contacted... seeking such a license or approval...

"Please be advised that... developing, producing, marketing or in any other way utilising characters and situations which are part of the Terminator Franchise infringes upon and interferes with Pacificor's ownership rights."

Hannover House's Eric Parkinson has confirmed he's received the letter, but insists he plans to keep pushing for a deal to licence the rights and allow the new movie to go ahead.

He says, "We've arranged a meeting, we'll show them our money and if the rational brain prevails, they'll take the deal. If not, I can't do it without them. You'll have a follow-up next week that we are either holding hands, or not doing the film... I hope they will think outside the box."