Hollywood Drawing

"George, how about I talk to this kid alone?"

Not only Wayne and the others looked at the visitor, but many people in the banquet hall looked at them at the same time. Just from the gesture and tone of his words when he walked over, Wayne could tell that he was a domineering middle-aged man.

George Lucas looked at him deeply, nodded and prepared to get up and leave. When he walked to the other party, he couldn't help but remind him in a low voice.

"Bob." As he spoke, he glanced at Wayne behind him and sighed inwardly. "If I were you, I wouldn't treat him like a child."

After saying that, he didn't care what happened here, shook his head, and left with the champagne.

Ever since Bob Shay sat down, Wayne and he had been observing each other. The corner of the rest area was extremely dull, as if they were cut off from the atmosphere of the banquet hall.

Five minutes passed when the visitor suddenly picked up the wine glass, touched it lightly with him, then raised his neck and drank the champagne in the glass in one gulp.

"Wayne, Wayne Greenberg, right? I'm Bob Shea. Very few people call me Bob. They all call me Shea."

Looking at the young man in front of him, Bob Shea always feels a familiar sense of strangeness. "You are very similar to Ruben when he was young. I mean your appearance. When your father was young, he was not as calm as you."

"Mr. Shay."

With an indifferent expression, Wayne waved to the assistant lady, took the cigarette, and waved for the two women to leave.

"Crack." "Crack." After two slight lighter sounds, he tilted his head, lit the cigarette in his mouth, took a deep breath, and exhaled a large cloud of blue mist. "If you have anything to say, you can tell me directly. I guess you're not too free and just want to talk to someone for a few words, right?"

Wayne is still very curious about this person. From a normal perspective, New Line Cinema has never been a top Hollywood production company, but it has produced "Seven Deadly Sins", "The Lord of the Rings" series and "The Peak". Since the beginning of the "Moment" series, this company has quietly become the most influential independent production and distribution company in Hollywood together with DreamWorks.

Because of his early cut, New Line Cinema will definitely deviate from its original path, but no one knows better than him how powerful Bob Shea is.

"Relax, kid, just chat." Bob Shay picked it up from time to time and was given a sip. "Seeing you reminds me of when Reuben and I were young."

At this moment, Wayne saw the two people from Marvel Comics approaching the assistant lady, and they must be communicating about something.

"Sorry, Mr. Shay." Wayne shook his head, raised his glass to signal, drank the remaining champagne in one gulp, and pointed in Nina's direction. "I have other things to be busy with. Let's talk when we have time."

When Bob Shay saw him getting up to leave, his surprised expression flashed away. "You don't want to hear about your father's youth?"

"That has nothing to do with me."

Wayne waved his hand, turned and left. Since the other party just saw that he wanted to chat a few words, he had no intention of continuing to listen.

As he said, he is not curious at all about what happened between his father and the other party when they were young. To repeat it from Shay's mouth, it is nothing more than competition with different ideas, which means nothing to him.

As for New Line Cinema, the company will be swallowed up by Warner Bros. sooner or later. No one can change this.

Seeing that Wayne had finished communicating with the other party, Naomi Watts walked over immediately, stretched out her hand and gently pointed behind her, and whispered: "Those two people, it seems they want to ask you to chat."

"Go and have a look first."

At most, this is just a chance to get in touch, and if you want to talk about things in depth, this is obviously not the right place. He was going to make an appointment with the other party to have a good chat and see what they thought.

"Boss." Nina saw the two of them coming and took the initiative to introduce them. "This is Mr. Kevin Feige from Marvel Comics, and this is Stan Lee."

"Hello, Director Greenberg." Kevin Feige was the first to extend his hand. "We have previously sent you an invitation through your agent Jimmy. We hope you can go and visit it in awe when you have time."

"Hello, nice to meet you." Wayne shook hands with the other party with a reserved smile. "Sorry, I've been very busy at work and can't always spare the time."

His attention was not focused on the future CEO of Marvel. Instead, he had been curiously observing the silent Stan Lee, the father of superheroes.

Fans of Marvel movies will be very familiar with this pushy old man, as he has made cameo appearances in many movies.

And Joe Kubert, the father of DC superheroes, is obviously much more low-key compared to his counterpart.

Kevin Feige noticed his gaze, smiled and extended the invitation again. "Mr. Greenberg, I wonder what you think of our superheroes? I hope we can sit down and chat sometime."

"No problem." Wayne nodded. "I'm also a fan of Marvel Comics."

Seeing that he agreed, Kevin Feige accepted the offer and shook hands with him politely, saying, "Okay, we will contact Ms. Nina later so we won't disturb you."

After saying that, he took Stan Lee with him and turned towards the rest area.

The reason why they came to the premiere today was to make an appointment with each other. This kind of thing cannot be done overnight. Being able to make an appointment with each other is a good start.

From the moment Kevin Feige exchanged pleasantries with the other party, Stan Lee has been observing silently, and until now, he still doubts whether it is useful.

"Are you sure this young man can change the current situation of the company?" Stan Lee asked after glancing at the young director behind him. "We are reluctant to continue operating now. Even if we can hire him, we probably won't have the money to shoot a movie, and we don't know what the price will be if we hire him."

"No matter what it takes." Kevin Feige frowned and sighed softly. "Do we have anything to lose? Perhaps this is Marvel's best hope right now."

We don’t know how long the cold winter in the comics industry will last, but at the very least, companies must find new revenue points to survive this endless winter.

The superhero movies produced by Wayne Greenberg have opened another window for them. If Marvel's superheroes can also be brought to the big screen and be successful, just selling peripherals and licensing can make the company Escape from the situation of neither death nor life.

Look at the current DC comics. Through the more influential way of images, it has driven greater sales of Batman comics, as well as the licensing of characters. Just thinking about it makes Kevin Feige jealous.

The two men had just left when George Lucas came over with Brad Pitt.

Before they could say hello to each other, Wayne vaguely heard the assistant lady discussing quietly with the Australian girl behind him. "He is really sexy, much more handsome than in the movie..."

"yes……"

I have to say that Brad Pitt during this period had both tough guy temperament and handsome attributes. Even when he saw this actor, he thought he was extremely handsome.

"Good evening, Director Greenberg, and Ms. Watts, thank you for coming to the film premiere." Without waiting for the father of Star Wars to introduce himself, Brad Pitt took the initiative to say hello. Big stars who can succeed in this industry all know how important it is to have a good relationship with a big director.

"I am a big fan of your movies. From the earliest "Happy Death Day" to the current "Batman Begins", I have watched it more than once."

"Good evening." Wayne didn't care whether the other party was a real movie fan. A smart person like this would probably say these words to any director he met.

He looked at this big star from top to bottom, looking at both his figure and face carefully. The most important thing was whether his temperament matched the role he wanted him to play.

"I don't know if you have a schedule next year. In this way, there will be an audition for my new project before December. If you are willing to give it a try, remember to ask your agent to sign up for you."

It feels very uncomfortable to be constantly being observed like goods, but Brad Pitt knows this is a good thing and tries his best to keep his smile.

"Of course." When he suddenly heard the news, a look of surprise flashed across his face. "Director Greenberg, I mean of course there is a schedule. I will ask my agent to sign up for me. Thank you for giving me this opportunity."

"Okay, after a while, I will ask Warner Brothers to send you an invitation." Wayne nodded with satisfaction and smiled at George Lucas. "That's it, George, I'm going back first."

Brad Pitt is indeed a good candidate in his eyes now.

But the two parties have never cooperated before, and he still has doubts about the other party's performance ability. Everything depends on the audition performance.

There is still some time before the film starts preparations, and he is not sure if a more suitable candidate will appear by then.

But in terms of image and temperament, Brad Pitt has a huge advantage. Although this big star has always been a literary person, his face can guarantee that when filming commercial films, he will have some female appeal.

The premiere of "Seven Deadly Sins" here was extremely lively and received a lot of media attention. Another film that also opened on Friday has been quiet and did not hold such a huge investment. party.

The second part of "Blair Witch" seems to be copied in all its marketing and promotion methods. Although Universal Pictures received unsatisfactory feedback before the film was released, it still did not change its plan.

Three days after the first weekend, the results were not as expected by Universal Pictures. Early on Monday morning, CEO Ron Meyer tore up the statistics.

The second part of "Blair Witch" was just like the first one. It received a lot of criticism as soon as it was released, but this is the only thing that is the same.

When the first movie was released, amidst the overwhelming condemnation, movie fans were constantly angry and walked into the theater in droves, all curious about how bad this movie was.

When this movie was released, Universal Pictures and the theater chain alliance negotiated a screening scale of more than 2,000 theaters, and it was extremely deserted on Friday.

After three days of the first weekend, it only received a pitiful box office of less than 4 million US dollars.

As soon as he got to work early in the morning, Ron Meyer received a call from the three major theater companies, including Imperial Cinemas. Starting from Monday, the screening scale of this film would be reduced to the minimum in the contract.

Needless to say, the vacated curtain must have been used for "Seven Deadly Sins".

In contrast, "Seven Deadly Sins" has been well received since its release. Whether it is the film's professional reputation or public reputation among movie fans, it has shown an explosive trend.

This is particularly evident at the box office. In its first three days, "Seven" grossed US$55.08 million, dethroning Tom Hanks' "Apollo 13" to become the weekend's box office champion.

The popularity of this film also made David Fincher famous. Brad Pitt, the star in the film, suddenly became the number one ideal lover for North American women.

However, there is one film that has been the focus of media attention even though it has been released for more than ten weeks.

The screening scale of "Batman Begins" has been reduced repeatedly, and now there are less than 700 theaters still scheduling movies every day. This film has already secured the annual box office championship in advance. The North American box office is still growing slowly and has reached 307 million US dollars.

The film has been gradually withdrawn in many overseas areas, and only a few remote areas are still showing it.

"Batman Begins" has been screened in more than 70 countries and regions. Not counting the regions where it is still being released, the overseas box office has totaled 380 million U.S. dollars. There is basically no hope of hitting 400 million U.S. dollars.

Warner Bros. also knows that although the box office of this film was surprising, and the peripheral sales during the release period were amazing, its most important role was to lay a solid foundation for the series of subsequent films.

Time slowly advanced to October. Wayne submitted his new project "The Departed" to the Warner Bros. Film and Television Production Department through Jimmy. His mind began to slowly change from a vacation state and began to think more about work. question.

After the new project was submitted, it quickly passed the review of Warner Bros., and agent Jimmy was notified immediately so that negotiations could begin regarding the film's investment, production, and director's personal treatment.

Wayne is not anxious about the outcome of the negotiation. The two parties have the most basic tacit understanding. Normally, the negotiation will not break down. It is just a matter of the length of time to reach an agreement.

The reason why the project was submitted for review so far in advance was to leave enough time for Jimmy's negotiations.

"Warner Bros. has no objections to us taking 50% of the investment. There is an example of "The Matrix". This is a relatively lower-cost project, and there are no problems. There will be no problems in investment. The problem, this was already determined after the first contact.”

During the first negotiation, after a simple test of each other, Jimmy ran to the manor immediately to report his work to Wayne.

Jimmy looked at Wayne's face and found that he didn't express anything, and continued: "The first time was just to test each other's bottom line, but I found that as long as your personal treatment is mentioned, Bruce Rosenblum, who is in charge of the negotiation, Well, he will immediately change the subject.

This shows that Warner Bros. has some concerns about your personal treatment and wants to leave this issue until the end. There must be some special circumstances, otherwise your remuneration is very easy to determine, so this part should be close to transparency. "

In fact, Jimmy and Wayne have already had a tacit understanding on the issue of remuneration. As long as Warner Bros. gives Batman the same treatment, they will not ask for more.

This treatment is basically the highest salary in Hollywood, and it is unrealistic to want more shares.

The basic salary and share are just like this at the top. However, if you want to get income from film peripherals and channels, it is very difficult for you as a director or producer.

"I know." Nina said suddenly. She pushed up the glasses on her face, shrewd eyes flashing behind the lenses. "Is the first box office share of "Batman Begins" about to come?!"

Wayne nodded slightly, there must be a reason for this. I am afraid that the company's senior management and many shareholders will be surprised by the figure of the later share.

From the current box office figures alone, he can roughly calculate that his total post-production share must exceed 100 million US dollars.

I believe that Warner Bros. will not default on its debt in this regard, but this terrifying figure has also shocked many shareholders and senior executives, making these people have concerns about the salary of his new project.

"Pa." Jimmy slapped his thigh hard, with a look of realization. "Damn, this is a huge amount of money. I will go to Warner Bros. tomorrow to urge it."

"They won't default on this part of the money. It doesn't matter whether they press or not." Wayne waved his hand, saying there was no need to worry. "Keep the pace of negotiations, and I will be able to start preparations for new projects around mid-October."

Given his current importance to Warner Bros., the other party will only transfer the profit to the studio account in advance, and other situations are absolutely impossible.

Even with the treatment offered by this new project, he believes that in the end, Warner Brothers will hold their noses and agree.

Just looking at Wayne's box office share, it is indeed very high, but compared with the profits he created for the company, this aspect will not be a problem.

"I understand, don't worry, the negotiations will be concluded before mid-November." Jimmy nodded, suddenly remembered something, and seemed hesitant to speak.

Wayne asked curiously: "What's wrong? Is there anything else?"

"It's that Peter Jackson."

When it comes to the New Zealand bearded man, Jimmy looks worried. "That person is simply crazy! Except for necessary meals and going to the bathroom, he stayed directly in the office. The intern at the front desk told me that he was already rotten..."

It doesn't matter anything else. Although this kind of workaholic is not likeable, it is not annoying either. But Peter Jackson's condition frightened Jimmy, fearing that he would die suddenly in his new company.

"After you get off work, tell him to go back and rest." Wayne was a little dumbfounded. He knew the reason for his crazy work, and it was all his fault. "If he doesn't want to, tell him that I will replace him for this project!"

"no problem."

The adaptation work of "The Lord of the Rings" cannot be completed in a short time, and the production cycle is based on years.

After Jimmy returned, he went to the Warner Bros. Building again the next day. This time his purpose was not to negotiate work, but simply to urge his client's later share.

It wasn't until he got the guarantee that he would pay on time that he left with satisfaction.

The entire month of October was spent in negotiations between Jimmy and Warner Bros. At the same time, "Seven Deadly Sins" was a huge success in the theater market, earning more than 130 million US dollars at the box office.

In early November, when the popularity of "Seven Deadly Sins" had just passed, Warner Bros. had another box office bomb, "Planet" took over the dominance of the theater market.

Relying on the appeal of Jim Carrey and others, as well as the good reputation of the previous film, it made 62 million US dollars in the first three days.

As the year is coming to an end, the media are reporting vigorously in retrospect that this year can be said to be a bumper year for Warner Bros., and all the major productions released have achieved great success.

At the same time, Jimmy also concluded negotiations on new projects with Warner Bros., and the two parties finally reached an agreement. Warner Bros. immediately announced the approval of Wayne's new project through the media.

As usual, a media meeting will be held, at which time more insider information about "The Departed" will be revealed.

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