Variety has reported that on Thursday night, within hours of Halcyon's deadline for bids on the rights to the Terminator franchise, Sony Pictures threw an offer on the table (here's Empire's write-up on the matter, if you're blocked out of Variety). This makes Sony one of two bidders, Lionsgate being the first.

Honestly, I'm not too optimistic about either of these companies' ability to handle the franchise. Lionsgate has struggled with sci-fi movies lately (see Battle for Terra, Gamer, and Planet Hulk), and Sony has recently given signals that it's more interested in turning a quick profit than in ensuring aesthetic quality.

My money is going on Sony in this one. Sony seems to have an interest in big, well-known franchises, whereas Lionsgate primarily works with smaller-name and original properties (though there are exceptions for each company). This would have been a good opportunity for Lionsgate to break into a large franchise (though it does have Saw to its name), but Sony seems likely to fight harder for it.

Given that these are now the only two companies vying for the franchise, my hope is that Sony wins it over Lionsgate. Despite my misgivings about either company controlling the Terminator rights, Sony at least has demonstrated more of a tendency to go blockbuster-big with their properties. If we're going to get another mediocre Terminator film, we can at least hope for it to be big, loud, and fun. Those were the (partially) redeeming qualities of Terminator Salvation, after all.