Dominating Hollywood: Starting with Scarlett

Chapter 245 Hotly debated listing bloodline

If Tang De's previous status in Hollywood was equivalent to that of a rising star.

After the release of "Inception", he became an unquestionable great director recognized by industry insiders.

Because "Inception" officially broke the billion dollar mark just one month after its release.

The North American box office was 3.8 million, and the global box office was 6.2 million.

It is exactly one billion US dollars, and this movie will definitely be released for more than one month. In some regions, it is estimated that it can be released for about two months.

Even in North America, theaters will not take it off the shelves directly.

By reducing the scale of release, we can continue to absorb those scattered box office revenues.

But for Tang De and his team, the next more profitable thing is the CD, for which they have prepared a whole set of documentary highlights, as well as interviews with the actors, director and staff.

Tang De even made a director's cut himself, which incorporated some discarded shots from the theatrical version and various small details that he found interesting.

The total length is more than three hours, which is enough for movie fans to enjoy it all in one go.

However, before the Blu-ray disc is released, Tang De first wants to respond to fans' questions about the ending of the movie.

"Tang, at the end of the movie, did the gyroscope stop spinning?" the host suddenly asked him while recording a program on TV.

The audience in the audience also focused their attention on Tang De.

"Uh..." Tang De shrugged: "Whether it stops rotating or not depends on your thoughts. Film art is a vague art, so I won't give a fixed answer, that would make the movie boring, wouldn't it?"

"I think that after a work of art is created, the right to interpret it is given to the audience, so I support any idea. There is no right or wrong, it just depends on what you want."

After hearing this answer, everyone applauded.

In fact, major forums, major Hollywood media, and even some serious newspapers are discussing this movie at this time.

Because they are really curious about the details and ending of the movie.

"Based on the analysis of four details, is it a dream or reality that Cobb and his crew returned to?"

"Ninety-nine percent of people didn't realize that this is Cobb's totem!"

"More than twenty details are summarized just to verify that what Cobb returned to was not reality!"

"It took me three times to understand Inception, the best masterpiece of the year!"

"Refuting the dream ending, the gyroscope tilted at the end, so Cobb must have returned to reality!"

Various interpretations and discussions filled all film and television forums, and audiences expressed their own opinions.

For example, Mirren released his opinion on the ending, believing that Cobb must return to reality.

"First, I compared the spinning top that Cobb spun at the end with the spinning top in the dream. From the deviation angle and the increasingly loud sound during the former's rotation, it can be seen that the spinning top in the last scene will inevitably fall down, so this is one of the key points to prove the real world."

"Also, Cobb's totem never appeared directly in the movie, but one poster watched the movie three times and found Cobb's totem, which was the ring on his hand. In the real world, he didn't have a ring on his hand, but in his dreams, he always wore a ring."

"This suggests that the ring was his totem, and that the spinning top was Mel's totem, and after Mel died, he used it as his own totem."

"So when passing through customs, Cobb didn't have a ring on his hand, which proves that he was in reality. It's just that the director omitted the scene where they escaped from the dream, so many people think he is still in the dream."

Although his remarks make sense, other users have refuted this view from various angles.

"First of all, although Cobb's last spinning top shows signs of being a little unstable, it doesn't mean it will definitely fall over. I have tried this kind of small spinning top at home. It will be affected by various factors. Maybe the wind will blow it this way and that, but it may not really fall over."

"In addition, there is a lot of evidence to prove that he was dreaming. First of all, after Cobb woke up, all the shots seemed particularly dreamy. There was no disturbance, and Cobb returned home smoothly, just like throwing garbage into the trash can."

"The second is the first dream. I watched the movie twice. After the other team members returned to the first dream, there were no other scenes. There was no scene of them leaving the first dream at all, which shows that they are still in the first dream. And when Cobb woke up, he just stayed in the first dream."

Mirren and other netizens were arguing fiercely about whether it was a dream or reality. Even when she was shopping with Judy, she was still thinking about how to refute those dreamists.

His case is not an isolated one. Movie fans all over the world are discussing whether Cobb finally sank into a dream or returned to reality.

This also made the popularity of the movie even higher, but made the subsequent movies seem a lot duller.

Even their box office revenue shrunk significantly due to the emergence of "Inception".

Once Norton Eye announced that their Blu-ray disc was the director's cut, the discussion immediately reached a new level, and every fan was looking forward to the release of the disc.

At the same time, Tang De was not idle either.

In addition to accompanying Anne Hathaway and Jessica Alba, he also completed an acquisition.

This was something he had asked Carl to track before. There was a small animation company established this year. They had been working hard on their first animated feature film. However, now as the production of the animation begins, their budget and cash flow are at risk of being lost.

Without investors, they might just end up working in a garage.

Therefore, Carl's appearance at this time was undoubtedly a redemption for them. In the end, Norton's Eye invested 25 million US dollars in the animation company, acquired 35% of the shares, and incorporated it into Norton's Eye, making it a subsidiary.

The name of this company is Illumination Entertainment, and their first feature-length animation is called "Despicable Me".

Some people may know about this work, while some others may not, but everyone must know about their future derivative works, because its animation image IP has been sold all over the world and became very popular. It is "Minions".

This animation suitable for all ages has greatly increased the value of the Minions IP. For Tang De, this work can also fill in the direction that Norton's Eye has never explored.

Family fun.

At the end of the day, the movies that reach the widest audience are always family movies.

Only a family-friendly film can include everyone, just like this time's "Inception".

After settling this matter, Tang De personally took Carl to the residence of a female writer.

Stephenie Meyer, it seems that not many people know her name.

But when it comes to her works, they must be household names.

"Twilight" was written by her. It was released in 2005 and became a huge hit.

Many film companies negotiated copyrights with her, but she finally chose The Norton Eye.

Because she had watched "Fifty Shades of Grey" and she liked the love story in it, Tang De also invited her mother Carmela to communicate with her.

After obtaining the copyright, Norton's Eye was not in a hurry to announce it to the public.

Instead, it was listed first.

This is something that has been planned long ago. If the company wants to grow and develop, it will need more funds.

Making a movie is not like making an online game. An online game can last a long time, from a few years to more than ten or twenty years. But a movie usually only lasts a few months, and there is not much money left.

Unless Internet media goes online immediately, they can still make a lot of money through streaming media.

But at this point in time, if you want to have sufficient capital to step onto a higher level table in Hollywood, then going public is unstoppable.

Fortunately, Tang De had been planning for a long time, and the Black Umbrella Consulting Company had planned everything in advance.

So, relying on the residual heat of "Inception", the launch of Norton's Eye had almost no obstacles and was very smooth.

The investment market also responded to the expectations for Norton Eye with high stock prices.

After the listing, Tang De announced a new plan for Norton Eye and named it Plan 24.

“In two years, we will produce the following films.”

"Norton's Eye, Twilight, directed by Tang De, a vampire romance."

"Norton's Eye, The Conjuring, directed by James Wan, horror thriller genre."

"Norton's Eye, Saw 3, directed by James Wan, horror genre."

"Illumination Entertainment, Despicable Me, directed by Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin. Family-friendly animation."

“Within four years, we will produce a super commercial blockbuster, using brand new 3D technology, which has not yet been named.

"There is also a commercial movie about super powers, tentatively named Lucy, and Scarlett has been confirmed as the heroine."

"At the same time, the new sequel to Fifty Shades of Grey is also in progress and is expected to be released within four years."

"In addition, a new series of gun-and-gun action films will be launched, named John Wick."

"We will respond to everyone's expectations with better movies. Thank you for your support."

After the plan was announced, Norton Eye's stock price soared. First of all, the sequels to "Saw" and "Fifty Shades of Grey" are enough for movie fans to look forward to, and the box office is definitely guaranteed.

Secondly, the adaptation of the popular IP "Twilight" is also very eye-catching. With Tang De personally taking part in the production, there is basically no possibility of losing money. The only thing is that it is uncertain how much money can be earned.

So even though the other movies aren’t very famous, for a newly listed company like Norton Eye, the fact that so many movies are being developed simultaneously still proves its strength.

After Tang De made the announcement, Paula Wagner of United Artists simultaneously announced United Artists' film schedule, and several of Tang De's works were listed among them.

This news made the investment market and banks slightly more optimistic about United Artists.

After the release of the Blu-ray disc of "Inception", Tang De also stopped accepting variety shows and programs.

However, there was only one media outlet that he did not refuse an interview with.

Time magazine found Tang De and wanted to shoot a cover for him.

Tang De naturally would not refuse this proposal.

"What do I need to prepare?" Tang De asked during the phone call.

“No preparation is required, you just wear your favorite outfit.”

"Favorite?"

Tang De finally chose a black windbreaker, which is the clothes he wears most often. Whether on the set or in life, he doesn't like the restraining feeling of suits and enjoys the feeling of not being bound.

When we arrived at the studio, the photographer from Time magazine was ready. In fact, portraits for this kind of magazine are often not taken in color, but in black and white.

Because many people in the photography world believe that black and white is more classic and advanced than color.

Digital color, digital black and white, film color, film black and white.

From the lowest end of the contempt chain to the highest, this is how most photographers view it.

So this time, when filming Tang De, we used film.

The pose that the photographer chose for Tang De was also quite interesting. He asked Tang De to look at the sky with a curious face, and then took a close-up of his face.

All angles were tried, and when the photos were developed, they were mailed to Tang De for him to take a look at the samples.

"Very cool." It was the first time that Tang De praised other people's photography works.

He liked the photo, very naturally, as if he were a curious child.

"Thank you for the compliment." The photographer and Tang De had a brief chat on the phone.

Soon after, Tang De's face appeared on Time magazine and became the cover character of that issue.

It is accompanied by an exclusive interview.

"Honey, you look so handsome." Jessica said to Tang De with a smile while lying on the bed.

Her belly had already completely risen up, was bulging, and felt hard.

This posture is not far from giving birth.

Tang De has been with her all this time, and of course, he is also with Anne Hathaway.

It's just that Anne Hathaway seems to be depressed after her pregnancy and has been hysterical during this period.

In comparison, Jessica seems much more stable, without too much negative energy. Instead, she looks forward to the birth of her child every day.

Carmela also often came to take care of her and Anne Hathaway during this period.

She didn't say anything about Tang De's actions, or maybe it was a fait accompli and it would be a waste of time to say anything more.

There was still no news from Avril, but Tang De had been keeping an eye on her. He knew that she was doing well now. She sang during the day and wrote songs at night, as if she wanted to write down all her resentment towards Tang De.

Kayden and Cindy's careers are also steadily rising, and they have recently appeared in several movies.

But compared to Cindy, Kayden's acting range is not as wide because her body is so hot.

She is now more of a model.

On the other hand, Taylor Swift is also continuing to plan her new album. For her, she has put a lot of effort into this album, hoping to achieve higher sales. She also hopes that this album can bring her to the Grammy stage and make Tang De face herself.

So everyone was very busy, which saved Tang De a lot of effort.

During this time, Tang De wrote some scripts.

For example, "Lucy" and "The Hangover".

He began to write down the outlines of the movie scripts he had seen in his memory. Maybe he didn't have to shoot the scripts himself, but it was always better to be prepared and grab the copyright in advance.

After finishing all these, time quickly came to the eve of the Oscars.

Likewise, this was also the eve of Jessica's birth.

Tang De was sitting in the hospital corridor at this time, waiting for news from the delivery room.

Tom, Carl and Jimmy were there with him.

"Hey, man, don't worry, it's okay." Jimmy shrugged and patted Tang De's shoulder: "The first time I sat on Daddy, I was also nervous, but Lilina was too fast. She gave birth to the baby in ten minutes, and I didn't even react."

Jimmy was a victim of an unexpected pregnancy. He didn't want a child, but the condom broke and he got pregnant at once.

To this end, he searched for information every day and asked experienced fathers and mothers in the company, trying to figure out how difficult it was to raise a child.

"You know how to comfort people." Tang De forced a smile and punched him.

"I wasn't that nervous when I became a father," Carl said as he sat across from them, "because I was on a business trip at the time, working as a manager for a third-tier singer and taking her on tours."

"And then?" Jimmy raised his eyebrows.

"Then I learned on the phone that my wife gave birth to twins." Carl showed a boastful expression when he said this.

"FXXKYOU! Bullshit, are you just trying to show off your skills?" Jimmy scolded Carl in an unhappy tone.

"Hahaha, I know you envy me." Carl made a face happily, making everyone laugh.

"So the doctor said it's a boy or a girl?" Carl then asked.

"It's a girl." Tang De replied.

"That's great, it's okay if it's not a boy. Little boys are really naughty. For example, the one in our family shoots water guns everywhere every day."

"I also think girls are better." Jimmy's child is also a boy: "My wife was kicked and bitten several times when she was feeding him... SHXT, I will definitely beat him up when he grows up."

"Hahaha, then you'd better beat him up more often while he's still young, otherwise when he grows up, it will be his turn to beat you up."

"Get lost, Carl! You're such a jinx!"

"Hahaha."

Donde and Tom couldn't help laughing when they saw Jimmy and Carl bickering.

Just then, the door suddenly opened and the doctor walked out.

"How is it?" Tang De immediately stood up and walked forward to ask.

"Congratulations, it's a healthy and lively girl." The doctor took off his mask and the nurse pushed out an insulated baby box next to him.

Tang De hurried over and looked at the wrinkled baby whose body was red, had no hair, and looked like a small animal.

When he saw the tiny lines on her hands and her opening and closing mouth, Tang De immediately felt a potential connection that connected them.

"it's beautiful."

"Are you sure you can tell beauty from ugliness in this baby?" Tom suddenly said.

"Of course!" Tang De smiled and put his hand on the glass above his daughter's head: "I believe she will be a beautiful girl in the future."

"You and Jessica have such good genes, so it must be right." Carl said and looked at Jimmy again: "You may not be right."

"Go aside!"

After the doctors and nurses sent the baby away, Tang De saw Jessica again.

Her face was a little pale at this time, even whiter than the clothes she was wearing. After seeing Tang De, the two of them clasped hands tightly.

"Is she pretty?" Jessica's face was full of anticipation.

"Of course, she's very beautiful." Tang De described her in detail: "She has a pair of beautiful eyes, which are light gray, and her forehead is like yours, and her mouth is a bit like mine."

"Really? The doctor said it's still unclear what she'll look like?"

"Believe me, yes, you know my eyesight."

"Ok."

In the next few days, Tang De stayed with Jessica.

But he was also worried about Anne Hathaway, because her temperament was becoming more and more unpredictable, as if she was suffering from postpartum depression.

He had never heard of her having this disease in his previous life. He could only say that this butterfly of his had stirred up some bad ripples after all.

He tried to take care of Anne Hathaway, but she refused. She stubbornly wanted to take care of the child by herself and didn't want anyone else to help her.

But at this stage, Tang De had no choice but to arrange enough nannies and security guards, and let Carmela take care of Anne Hathaway.

At least she wasn't that resistant to Carmela.

Meanwhile, the Oscars are finally here.

Both of Tang De's works this year have been highly anticipated by the public. The first is "No Country for Old Men", which won the Berlin Golden Bear Award, and the second is "Inception", which was rated by a magazine as the most artistic science fiction film.

Both films have hopes of being nominated for Best Picture and Best Director, so the public can't help but expect Tang De to win.

But when The Hollywood Reporter published its predictions for this year, it was not very kind to either movie.

"Although 'No Country for Old Men' subverts the traditional narrative structure of films, the story itself is too unconventional, so the Oscar judges probably cannot agree that such a work can win the award."

"Although Inception is full of suspense, it is at most one of the top commercial films. In terms of artistry and the content it explores, it actually lacks a lot. So I think this work can only be nominated at most."

"And Tang De's age has always been an obstacle for him to win a big award. After all, this is an Oscar, an Oscar that many directors have not been able to win for decades."

"So those who thought that Tang De would definitely win the Best Picture or Best Director award are bound to be disappointed."

"It is highly likely that both films will be nominated, and it is highly unlikely that No Country for Old Men will win Best Picture."

As soon as this statement came out, it was immediately supported by many people, and it was generally believed that it would take some years for Tang De to win these two awards.

No one knows how much money Tang De's Bernay Public Relations Company has spent lobbying these Oscar judges during this period.

That number is more than enough to make another No Country for Old Men.

That is why, when Scarlett walked onto the red carpet with Donald Trump arm in arm, beneath his calm expression his heart was actually turbulent and fluctuating.

(End of this chapter)