Shatner's already screwed up STAR TREK 5 with Paramount's money. No point in letting him use his own for it. Mission...............Accomplished!
He needed to make that offer about his own money while the film was still being made, like Meyer did. That usuall frightens the studio into relenting. Meyer was told it would cost six figures to redo a bridge explosion, and said 'take it out of my salary.' Reply was, 'oh, well if you feel THAT strongly about it.' Case closed. Shatner didn't understand politics of filmmaking and didn't know that a corbomite bluff MIGHT have got him what he needed originally. Winter and Bennett should have been helping him understand this stuff, not let him dangle.