Ace Hollywood

??? "It's a really nice place."

The place where Daniel and Bill met was a resort hotel in Santa Monica, not far from the Annenberg Manor, but the hustle and bustle there did not affect it at all. The hotel is isolated from the constant stream of people. And in a big city like Los Angeles, that means upscale and expensive.

Daniel had not been to the resort area of ​​Santa Monica before, which was a good place to kill time and relieve stress, but Daniel had never been there.

"You should come here often to relax, you've been so busy with work." Bill took a sip of Cuba Liberty—a cocktail of rum and Coke that Daniel lacked appreciation for, so he It's a glass of pure wine.

"However, you are different from old men like us. We are already dying and can only enjoy a little more of this wonderful thing in a limited time. You still have a lot of time, which makes me feel jealous."

"All successful people worry about is not having more time to enjoy success, but I think you guys are a little greedy."

"It's like you're not one of the successful people." Bill pouted, "There are so many actors in Hollywood, Europe, and Asia, and you are already the best among them."

Daniel arranged a whole day to spend his time here.

So the two of them didn't talk about business in a hurry. When the sun was not too strong, they lay outside for a while and chatted casually about industry gossip. Then had a meal of the hotel's specialties. Smoked salmon with wasabi sauce, topped with hazelnuts and feta cheese, and a cup of vanilla yogurt. After a short rest. The two men began to talk about the main topic of the trip.

"To be honest, I didn't think you would be so interested in this script," Bill looked really surprised. "You know, it's a children's story, from a Croatian writer. Michael Barnathan found it interesting. , so he found us."

Bill's reference to Michael Barnason. Many people may not have heard of it, but one of the series he produced is definitely the most famous series in the world - "Harry Potter". He, Chris Columbus, and Bob Dukes have produced the two Harry Potter films that have been released so far, namely the Philosopher's Stone and the Chamber of Secrets.

Chris as a director, of course, both fame and fortune. same. Michael. Barnason also has a lot of face in the major studios.

It is understandable that Fox is willing to invest in the book he likes.

What's more, besides him, the other two of the trio are also willing to be the producers of this film.

This gives the movie a strong insurance.

"Actually, in my opinion, the story is interesting, but not novel enough. The resurrection of museum creatures is not a new idea."

"Like you, Bill. I also think Chris and the others are trustworthy, and for dd, the movie is a low investment and suitable for a new way of publicity. Also, if all goes well, I was in college at the time First grade. Choose a lighter and simpler film. It suits me better. You know, I can't make a film with the depth of 'The Pianist' when I'm in school."

Bill nodded knowingly. It seems to agree with Daniel's statement.

"I think after 2006, you should be able to invest in some more troublesome movies. Are there any good or suitable projects at Fox? You know, I am now a bully with money, haha."

"Oh, Fox can't ask for it. Movies can't do well now, and this year's box office is not as good as last year's."

"War is always out of control."

"Aren't you trying to control it? Seriously, Daniel, how can you predict a war so accurately? Is it true that the US Army can't win in Iraq?"

Daniel shook his head, "It's too early to predict accurately, but it's not so easy to win a complete victory in the far-flung Middle East. However, the strength gap between the two sides is too great, so the war that has lasted for many years is not easy for anyone. There's no benefit, the president can't think he's wrong, so as long as he's in the White House, the U.S.-Iraq war won't end, and that's a big quagmire that keeps getting deeper and deeper."

"Hmm..." Bill tried to get Washington out of his head. He was really hesitant in his heart. Every time James Cameron made a big move, Fox would be frightened, always delayed, always over budget, always Novelty and unpredictable, this way, it might be a good idea to drag Daniel in. With the size of DD, the investment of more than 250 million blockbusters, they will eat at most 20%, presumably cooperate with Paramount, of course, Fox A little more beneficial.

Although dd is incomparable to Paramount, it is more complementary to Fox.

Bill is not short-sighted, nor is News Corp's Rupert Murdoch. With the delay of time, the Internet will keep pace with actual materials such as TV, newspapers, magazines and posters. At this point, there is almost no doubt that the difference is only when that era will come.

At this time, the first step dd Pictures is very competitive, and it can also let Fox steal a lesson or two. Of course, this is not the point. The close relationship between dd Pictures and Internet companies such as MB, Google, etc. is the most important thing. people are interested. Since The Greek Wedding, no movie has repeated the internet miracle it achieved.

Some blame the limitations of this type of propaganda, which is sporadic, inconsistent, and irregular. But others believe that the operator lacks the code to master the weapon.

So many people are staring at "Pirates of the Caribbean", hoping to see if dd Pictures can repeat the miracle. But the news that came out two days ago made everyone frown. Even though DD Pictures is still the announcement company of "Pirates of the Caribbean", this is completely different from the project where DD has a major interest. No one, including Disney, will expect DD Pictures to do their best on "Pirates of the Caribbean".

"It's like this, Daniel, you should know that Fox and James Cameron have always worked well together. James wrote a script in the 1990s, which was very fantasy. He felt that the special effects technology at the time could not meet the conditions, so he never Instead, he shot "Titanic" first. But recently, the "Lord of the Rings" series and the new "Star Wars" made him feel that the time may be ripe, so Fox is going to push it, we are actually going to When the project was demonstrated, Weta Digital was invited to join in. Your technology is very good, seriously, Daniel, your investment will definitely make a lot of money, and Weinstein must regret it.”

The allusions here are more tortuous, and Weinstein regrets not only the Weta Digital.

In the beginning, Miramax owned the film adaptation rights of Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" and the prequel "The Hobbit", but later, the Weinstein brothers did not make it, and under the running contact of Peter Jackson, Sold to New Line and MGM for half and half. Miramax has retained the rights to the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and one "The Hobbit". That's why the Weinstein brothers are among the producers of The Lord of the Rings.

The two sides have this unsolved case, and there will be lawsuits to fight in the future.

Among them, Weta Digital is also a part of the project. As part of the payment to Peter Jackson, Weinstein and others jointly gave 10 million to develop this company, which was introduced by Richard Taylor's special effects company at that time. The first funding from , also allowed the birth of a new company, Weta Digital.

Daniel didn't expect Bill to mention it directly. Although this is news that Fox can't hide, it should be limited to discuss it publicly. After all, this is still a project in its earliest stages.

"James' new film?"

"Yes," Bill must have regretted it again, "but all projects related to James are the highest-level matters of the company. In other words, Rupert personally decided."

Daniel nodded clearly.

"If it's another "Titanic", then it really can't be too cautious."

"It's not that easy." Bill stopped talking about this topic. "We gave Cusa a number before, what do you think? It's 'Night at the Museum'."

Of course, Daniel would not show an eager attitude, otherwise Bill would immediately know that he was optimistic about the film, and now Daniel's vision for watching the film is quite well-known in Hollywood.

"0 pay, I haven't tried this yet."

"You can also choose to invest 20 million, and then take that money back as your salary." Bill said with a smile, "It's actually the same, isn't it? We are very sincere, we even gave the big head, and now we all talk about it. It's not unreasonable that studios are working for big stars. Fortunately, you and Tom Hanks are still in the minority."

"You should be glad that you didn't live in the golden age~www.readwn.com~ When MGM cast "Cleopatra" and gave Elizabeth a record salary, but in exchange for a mess, the company that paid for it was almost unstable.

"If this film can maintain your '100 million gold body', Fox thinks it can be done, but the profit is limited, so we think this is an opportunity to make friends, Daniel, we are really sincere."

"I feel it, Bill. Well, I basically have no opinion, I'll let Cusa and Melissa contact you about the specifics."

Bill raised his glass and touched Daniel lightly, "It's a pleasure to work together, and a nice trip to Kenya."

"Cooperation-, facing the refugees, I can't be happy, thinking of them makes me feel guilty even lying here."

"Come on, Americans are overweight, and people in Africa starve to death every day, so there's no need to be harsh on yourself. The water here is good, we can go for a swim, then have a spa treatment, and relax before your busy schedule." (To be continued)

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