From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Sony Columbia views each actor as an independent individual, and contract renewal negotiations need to be handled separately. Actors also tend not to disclose their contract terms to each other.

The kind of all-in-one negotiation like in "Friends" is very rare in Hollywood, and could even be said to be unique.

However.

What Sony Columbia didn't anticipate was that Anson was very close to James Franco and Kirsten Dunst. Not only did they often meet privately, but they also hoped to star in the sequel together—

They unanimously believed that maintaining the stability of the cast was the foundation for ensuring the quality of the sequel.

So, Anson knew that Sony Columbia had not yet been able to sign James and Kirsten, and they also knew that Sony Columbia was in a tug-of-war with Anson's agent.

Hearing Anson's words, Edgar took a deep breath and held it for a long, long time before finally exhaling slowly.

"The main thing is the current overall progress. I don't like it."

"No script. No actors. But, the crew has already started building the studio and is communicating with the New York City Hall to arrange the shooting schedule."

"In my opinion, this is a bit reckless."

"Of course, I know that this is how Hollywood movies are made. Each link is just a part of the assembly line, and nothing is irreplaceable. Although you have momentum right now, and Sony Columbia is eager for you to continue to star, if the negotiations are not successful in the end, they will not suspend the production of the sequel, but replace you with another actor, and filming will continue."

"But, the current chaotic situation still makes people uneasy."

Anson knew that Edgar's words were correct.

In his previous life, in the timeline Anson knew, Tobey Maguire played Peter Parker, and "Spider-Man" achieved success like creating history. So, when discussing the sequel, Tobey hoped to increase his salary and participate in profit sharing, fully seizing this opportunity to join the ranks of Hollywood's A-list.

Sony Columbia started negotiations. After several contacts, Tobey simply used the excuse of a back injury during training, saying that he might not be able to star in the sequel, and his agent secretly released the news. The media was in an uproar, and reporters and audiences overwhelmingly supported Tobey.

Sony Columbia could see at a glance that this was Tobey's attempt to force their hand.

On the surface, Sony Columbia and Tobey were still negotiating and in a tug-of-war, trying to persuade Tobey to "perform with an injury," while Tobey insisted on his salary and refused to budge. Seeing Sony Columbia retreating step by step, Tobey thought he was about to succeed in the negotiation.

Secretly, Sony Columbia took a drastic measure and turned to contact Jake Gyllenhaal, persuading Jake to play Peter Parker in the sequel.

It wasn't until the media revealed that Sony Columbia and Jake were ready to sign a contract that Tobey became completely flustered and hurriedly returned to the negotiating table.

In the end, Tobey signed "Spider-Man 2" with a salary of fifteen million US dollars, and the "back injury" seemed to have no impact.

Of course, from the results, Tobey still got what he wanted. Although he did not enter the twenty million club, it was still the first time in his career that he entered the ten million dollar range, opening up the situation after many years of hard work in Hollywood.

However, the impact of the matter was far more than that.

Tobey's pace in competing for the twenty million club was hurried and flustered at a critical moment, completely losing the advantages he had accumulated before, and retreating step by step in front of the film company. This left Hollywood with a "weak" image, so that other film companies dared to be more tough.

Until the future Anson was familiar with, Tobey had never been able to enter the twenty million club in any project other than the "Spider-Man" series.

In other words, no one cares about those methods and calculations, because everyone in Hollywood is calculating, but if the calculation fails, the impact is inevitable.

Some people may say that Tobey is not good enough, and he was bluffed by Sony Columbia. If he persisted, things would be different; but not necessarily.

Later, after "Spider-Man 3" ended, Sony Columbia had a plan for the fourth film in the series. Tobey learned his lesson and was much tougher this time, demanding higher treatment as the absolute protagonist of the series; but Sony Columbia did not buy it, and in the end, the two sides broke up.

Edgar choked directly on his saliva, with a look of astonishment, "Are you serious?"

Anson, "Of course."

Because it was too straightforward and too direct, Edgar actually stalled for a moment. After regaining his composure, he slowed down his tone, "Anson, we can't easily miss such an opportunity."

Edgar thought, how should he explain to Anson that now is a good opportunity for a carp to leap over the dragon gate? If they can take the lead and complete the negotiation with Sony Columbia, and establish Anson's position in the industry in one fell swoop, then those scripts and projects in front of them will also have a reference object when they start negotiations.

However, before Edgar could sort out his thoughts, Anson had already spoken.

"Captain, don't you have confidence in me?"

Edgar, "What?"

Anson repeated, "Captain, don't you have confidence in me?"

Edgar: … …

Anson, "Even if it's not 'Spider-Man 2,' you should believe that I can succeed."

Anson raised the script in his hand, showing a smile and waving it gently.

Anson also roughly knew one or two of Edgar's considerations, but Anson believed that since they thought so, Sony Columbia would also know, so while Edgar was preparing to use Sony Columbia to contain other film companies in the industry, Sony Columbia could also use other film companies to contain Edgar.

Everything is calculation.

As an agent, Edgar tends to use these calculations to seek benefits.

But Anson is not familiar with or good at these things, so what should he do?

Win with his identity as an actor?

Or not, after all, Anson is still exploring the work of an actor.

Anson decided to use his "prophet" advantage, even if it is not "Spider-Man 2", he can guarantee that his next work will be 100% successful, at least in the pattern of his previous life.

This is Anson's confidence, and it can also become a positive factor in their negotiation process with Sony Columbia, allowing them to have more composure and confidence, and strive for a little advantage for them.

Edgar was slightly stunned, and his brain repeatedly chewed Anson's words over and over again, and the irritability and anxiety gradually subsided.

Finally, he regained his calm.

Remember those words Edgar said to persuade Anson that he was the best candidate for agent?

Those were not empty words.