The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 1424: Adjust to the wind
"Sony Columbia wouldn't make such a low-level mistake, right?" Lucas raised his eyebrows slightly, with a hint of surprise and disbelief in his eyes.

Anson seemed particularly calm, "It's not a low-level mistake."

"To be precise, the current film companies do not have such a concept for the time being, and they do not expect superhero movies to become popular. Secondly, they do not realize that superheroes should be embodied as actors to break the fourth wall for marketing."

Because of this, it doesn't seem to matter if an actor plays a different superhero.

Halle Berry, after starring in "X-Men", she also starred in "Catwoman".

Chris Evans, "Fantastic Four" and "Captain America"; Ryan Reynolds, "Green Lantern" and "Deadpool"; Ben Affleck, "Daredevil" and "Batman."

Etc., etc.

It was not until later, after Disney realized Marvel's marketing strategy of bundling images, that a clause prohibiting actors from playing different superheroes at the same time, which would destroy the audience's associations, appeared; but even so, it is still common for the same actor to play villains in different superhero movies. After all, villains do not need to worry about the publicity strategy of breaking the fourth wall.

As for now, the entire industry is not aware of the possibility of this happening, including Sony Columbia, so naturally there are no relevant clauses.

Imagine that Spider-Man transformed into Constantine, a man who smoked half his life away, and evolved from a young and ignorant middle school student to an old smoker who had experienced many vicissitudes of life overnight. The audiences in the cinema would probably be collectively disillusioned.

Having said that, "But this producer probably didn't know that Sony Columbia didn't have such a clause." Lucas agreed with Anson's previous point -

It is impossible that Lauren was completely ignorant of the matter when she submitted the project to Forest Pictures.

Anson shrugged lightly. "I'm not her, so I have no way of judging what this producer is thinking. In my opinion, there are two possibilities."

"One possibility is that Lauren didn't consider Constantine to be a superhero at all, which is true. Compared to a superhero, he is more like a rebel who challenges taboos and principles. In addition, the original comic book has a smaller audience, so the movie can completely abandon the promotional language of superheroes."

"Another possibility is that Lauren did it on purpose, deliberately using Spider-Man's influence as a gimmick to try to attract more investors' attention."

Lucas raised his chin slightly and pondered for a moment.

"She can use us, and we can use her just as well."

Anson was slightly stunned, then smiled, "Sure enough, different majors lead to different perspectives."

Lucas could sense Anson's teasing, but he didn't mind. "Spider-Man 2 will be released next, and our negotiations with Sony Columbia will also begin."

"In Sony Columbia's view, we have no reason to leave this series, and now we give them a reason. We don't need Spider-Man 3. In fact, it is Sony Columbia that needs us."

Anson was stunned. "Wow, you mean to use 'Hellblazer' as a bargaining chip to challenge Sony Columbia? I guess this project is not important enough. If it was 'Batman', the situation might be different."

Lucas shook his head. "Not necessarily."

"As you said, Batman is famous. You are just jumping from one pit to another, unless the film company holding the Batman copyright is willing to compete with Sony Columbia..."

Anson added, "Warner Bros., the rights to Batman are in the hands of Warner Bros.."

Lucas, “Unless Warner Bros. is willing to go head-to-head with Sony Columbia and risk Spider-Man becoming Batman, we don’t have an advantage.”

"Moreover, we have no say in this. At most, we are just taking advantage of the situation. Whether cooperating with Sony Columbia or switching to Warner Bros., we are just pawns. They must expect to get the same amount in return as they paid to get you to star in the film."

“But this project is different.”

"Being less famous means less constraints. Jungle Films can flex its muscles, and you can also play it as you wish. This is in stark contrast to Spider-Man 3. In the eyes of Sony Columbia, it is more convincing." Anson raised his chin slightly.

Business game, this is indeed Lucas's strong point.

Lucas looked at Anson, "So, are you interested in starring in this project?"

Anson: "I think this is a very interesting role, suitable for being cool, but he is a heavy smoker..."

Before Anson could finish his words, Lucas cut him off with a blunt “No.” He then snatched the project plan from Anson’s hand and said, “Just leave it with me.”

Anson was stunned. He understood without even needing Lucas to explain. "Luca, you...so smoking and drinking are not allowed in the future?"

Lucas: “This time, just this time.”

"You just went through a project like this. Wouldn't it be better to choose something lighter and more cheerful for your next project?" Anson couldn't help but feel a little guilty in his eyes. "Not only this time, 'The Butterfly Effect', 'Elephant', 'Eternal Love', and 'Cat and Mouse Game' are all the same. Why not make a comedy next time?"

Anson looked at Lucas, as if he had finally realized what was going on. "So you were just picking out comedies?"

Lucas:…

Anson looked through the projects, picked one out and read it carefully. "Then this is the project. It's perfect, 100 percent. After all, it's a fairy tale."

Anson showed the cover to Lucas—

"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".

This is not just a project plan, but a script adapted from the 1964 novel of the same name by British writer Roald Dahl, which is a world-famous children's literature.

The movie tells the story of the mysterious Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory which has not been visited for fifteen years. One day Willy Wonka says he will open it to five lucky children. As long as they draw a golden ticket from the chocolate, they can not only visit the factory, but also have the chance to win enough chocolate and candy to last them a lifetime. So the five children embark on a magical adventure.

There is no doubt that a fairy tale movie is not only a comedy but also an adventure fantasy genre, which perfectly fits Lucas' requirements.

What Lucas didn't know was that "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" would go on to become a huge success, grossing more than $430 million worldwide.

Moreover, eighteen years later, a spin-off movie “Wonka” was born, which also achieved box office success.

At this moment, Lucas could feel Anson's teasing and complaints.

Lucas raised his lips with a forced smile, "I'm really curious, are you invited to play Willy Wonka or Charlie?"

Charlie? The eleven-year-old boy in the movie is also the real protagonist of the movie.

Anson didn't mind Lucas's counterattack. He couldn't help but smile. "What I'm really curious about is how this project came into Edgar's hands. I wonder what kind of image I have in the producer's mind in the movie?"

Fairy tale? Fantasy? Adventure?

It should be very different from "The Princess Diaries", which is a genre that Anson has not tried so far.

(End of this chapter)