From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

The atmosphere was slightly tense.

The air crackled with tension from the first word, immediately escalating into a standoff.

Ian: "The postponement at the beginning of the year, everyone here knows what happened. Anson accepted another project when negotiations stalled. I don't think he can be blamed for that."

Michael didn't back down. "He's partly responsible for the delay in salary negotiations. Why can't he be blamed?"

Ian: "Negotiations are always a back-and-forth, a mutual evaluation and tug-of-war. If you don't like it, you can refuse to renew the contract. Renewing means both parties have reached an agreement. Now, to rehash old issues because of an unforeseen situation, that's not very magnanimous."

Michael leaned forward, ready to respond, but another voice cut him off. "I agree. I don't think Anson did anything wrong."

It was Amy Pascal, one of the chief executives of Sony Pictures Entertainment, who spoke.

Her shoulder-length, wavy blonde hair gave her a gentle appearance, but her gaunt, oval face held no smile. Instead, she was on full alert, like a lioness protecting her cubs, a hint of seriousness etched between her furrowed brows.

"Furthermore, I believe Anson is the only choice for Peter Parker. I believe we've successfully negotiated to keep Anson on board."

Amy was defending Anson.

Michael glanced at her. "The only choice? No. In Hollywood, no one is irreplaceable."

"We can replace Peter Parker at any time because we own the rights. Audiences go to the cinema for Spider-Man, not Anson Wood. Even if we cast an unknown actor as Peter Parker, the movie will still be successful."

"It's not that we need to thank Anson Wood, but that Anson Wood needs to thank us for the opportunity we gave him."

Heh.

Michael chuckled, appearing confident.

Amy's expression remained stern. "Warner Bros. thought the same thing once. Look at what happened to 'Batman'."

Before Marvel Comics embarked on the path of adapting comics into films, DC Comics had a long history of doing so. The iron triangle of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman had achieved considerable success on the big screen.

In 1989, Tim Burton directed and Michael Keaton played Batman. Together, they created 'Batman,' which achieved unparalleled success. They then collaborated on 'Batman Returns.' Although the box office numbers weren't as high as the first film, it was still a considerable success.

At the time, Tim Burton's dark and gloomy gothic style was heavily criticized. Warner Bros. believed this style wasn't suitable for the family and children's market and didn't help with toy sales. After creative differences with Tim Burton, Warner Bros. fired the director.

Upon learning of this, Michael Keaton read the new script and Warner Bros.' creative direction. He chose to side with the director and also left the project. Warner Bros. began a complete overhaul of the entire project.

In 1995, Joel Schumacher directed and Val Kilmer played Batman. 'Batman Forever' was grandly released. The film's box office numbers were still impressive, lower than 'Batman' but higher than 'Batman Returns.' Most importantly, it won critical acclaim and was considered the best in the series by professionals.

During the preparation for the sequel, Joel Schumacher and Val Kilmer had a tense relationship. The director was unhappy with the actor's attitude, and the actor, after the huge success, believed he was irreplaceable. In the end, the conflict between the two was irreconcilable. Warner Bros. chose the director, fired the actor, and once again chose a new Batman.

Then came George Clooney, an actor who had won countless fans for his role as a sexy doctor in the TV series 'ER.' He played a major role in a film for the first time, donning the Batman cape and making a dazzling debut in the new film 'Batman \u0026 Robin.'

Michael shrugged. "Unfortunately, he can't continue, can he? We have to face the results. You see, we're stuck here now."

"On the one hand, if we continue to delay, expenses will increase every day. We've already written a check for $180 million for the crew. Are we really aiming for a $200 million movie now? Like 'Titanic'?"

Amy was about to retort, but Michael didn't give her the chance.

"On the other hand, fine, we'll keep waiting, we'll give Anson a chance, but at what cost? Six weeks?"

Ian corrected, "Three to six weeks."

Michael shrugged. "We have to prepare for the worst-case scenario, which is that we might not get a healthy Anson even in six weeks. So, maybe eight weeks? That's two months."

"We've already postponed for five months—I don't care why, what the background is," Michael noticed Ian's hesitation and stopped him this time. "The result is that the crew, originally scheduled to start in January, has been dragging on until June. Now, because of this story, it's going to be postponed for another two months, which means August."

"So, what situation are we facing? Everyone here is a professional, I don't need to explain in detail, do I? We hope the movie can make it to next summer's box office, but the cost of these two months could cause us to miss the slot. The worst-case scenario is that it'll be postponed to the summer of 2005."

"Hey, that cost could be another expense, and even $200 million won't be enough by then."

"I know, I know, the first movie in the series was very successful, but the second movie in the series must also reach that level to justify the $200 million cost. Otherwise, we might end up like the Titanic in real life, dragged down by Anson, the iceberg."

"Anson is an accident, and so is an iceberg."

"I'm not condemning the accident, but the point is, we see the iceberg now, so are we prepared to avoid it?"