While much has been made of all of the dealers, suppliers and workers impacted by the troubles of automaker Chrysler LLC, it is nice to know that at least one Big Three constituent is not suffering: Hollywood.
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Chrysler, which received $4 billion in emergency government aid in late December and expects to need at least $3 billion more in the months to come to avoid insolvency, has
signed on as a sponsor and underwriter of a new installment in the "Terminator" movie series starring Christian Bale of "American Psycho" and "Batman Returns" fame. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Granted the cash outlay is probably not massive, and few would argue against Chrysler continuing advertising and sponsorships even in the downturn. Still, the decision to stay in the movie business at a time when the company has gone hat-in-hand to Congress is unlikely to sit well with some lawmakers.
The sponsorship also seems likely to open the company to a new round of jokes and quips about the U.S. auto industry continuing its decades-long trend of poor decision making. Perhaps "Terminator 4," the latest iteration of a series first released in 1984 when it starred now-California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, will be a smash hit that will expose millions upon millions to quality Chrysler vehicles. Perhaps, though some future Jennifer Aniston romantic comedy seems like a safer bet.
If nothing else, maybe this is a sign that Chrysler really is, as lawmakers have demanded, focused on going green because they are apparently willing to recycle screenplay ideas, at least. -
Lou WhitemanSee Reuters story on the sponsorship
