The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 1426 Stay awake
A "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" with a budget of $150 million --

It’s worthy of being Warner Bros., only Warner Bros.

But after being amazed, if we calm down and think carefully, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" has a global box office of 430 million US dollars, which is indeed an outstanding performance, but it is not enough to make Warner Bros.' 150 million US dollars investment profitable. From a mathematical point of view, this is not a successful project.

No wonder, the movie spin-off prequel "Wonka" waited eighteen years before it appeared.

Pull your sight back to the present.

Apparently, Lucas and Edgar had had an in-depth conversation about the project, and Lucas had a full understanding of the situation, so he was now speaking freely about it.

"Warner Bros. is very clear-headed. Although Charlie is the protagonist of the movie, it is 2004, not 1994. Movies with teenagers as the protagonists are not easy to market because they have no appeal and attraction. Maybe the movie can attract family audiences later, but the focus of early publicity should still be on Willy Wonka."

“So, Warner Bros. was willing to spend money on the actor who played Willy Wonka.”

This is Edgar's chance.

He only needed to convince Warner Bros. that there was no need to spend $15 million or $20 million to increase production costs. Instead, he chose Anson. Anson was willing to share the risk with Warner Bros. in the form of box office dividends and shoulder the responsibility of promoting the film.

It's a good deal.

"Right now, Warner Bros. has put together a very luxurious list of actors."

"Robin Williams, Steve Martin, Bill Murray, Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey, Rowan Atkinson..."

These are all comedians, among whom Rowan Atkinson is the famous "Mr. Bean".

Choosing comedians to set the lighthearted and funny tone for "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is a natural and expected direction.

"Christopher Walken, Nicolas Cage, Michael Keaton, Robert De Niro..."

These are veteran actors, and choosing them can help the movie capture its focus, just like when Jack Nicholson played the Joker in "Batman". Even supporting roles can shine; and from a publicity perspective, familiar names are also more market-friendly.

However, this is still not all.

"Will Smith, Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp..."

These are all top superstars.

Needless to say, Anson also belongs to this category, and the goal of choosing them is very clear, that is, to rely on the aura of superstars to make a fuss. Although Charlie is the protagonist of the movie, Warner Bros. does not mind running the entire project with Willy Wonka as the protagonist.

It is not surprising that Johnny Depp's name appears here; what is really eye-opening are the other two names, which give rise to countless possibilities.

No wonder Edgar didn't mind Anson appearing in the project.

Will Smith? Brad Pitt? It's hard to imagine them playing Willy Wonka. If Will is a comedian, it's more or less possible to connect them together, but Brad's inclusion in this discussion is a bit of a joke.

However, compared to the importance of these names, what really interested Anson was the determination of Warner Bros.:

It can be seen from the list of actors that Warner Bros. has truly considered Willy Wonka's image in all aspects, with different ages, types and styles. If the style of the film is determined with the actors as the core, and then the art style and lens characteristics of the entire project are established based on the actors' colors, then this movie will finally become a movie dedicated to Willy Wonka.

In its previous life, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" was also like this, completely marked by Johnny Depp.

This is indeed heart-warming.

Although Anson has now started experimenting with different roles in different movies, his work styles and types are already very rich compared to Hollywood's prejudice against Anson as a vase; but he still has never had a work that truly belongs to his own style.

So, should he nod? Lucas looked at Anson carefully. "Why, are you moved?"

Anson immediately became alert, "If you are interested, do you think the security team should be increased to twelve people?"

Lucas had not expected Anson to complain like this, and a smile flashed in his eyes. "This is different. Edgar has been planning the next step for your career. He hopes to open up the situation and cooperate with the work of Forest Pictures here to gain more say in the game between us and Sony Columbia. I can understand."

"Edgar said that Warner Bros. is sincere this time. Your name is first on the list of actors. Not only do the producers praise you, but the company's top management is also doing their best to facilitate the cooperation. Their attitude is very positive."

"There have been calls for Johnny Depp and Will Smith, but they can't be compared with you at all."

Anson, "High-level?"

Lucas, "Jeff Robinov, your friend?"

Anson suddenly realized, "I've met him twice. He was the one who helped to get 'The Butterfly Effect' to work with New Line Cinema."

Lucas, "I asked around, and he thinks highly of you within Warner Bros."

Anson did not hide his surprise. He had no real friendship with Jeff Robinov, but the top producer was indeed very kind to him.

"If there is a chance, I would really like to work with him once."

Lucas, "Why not this time? Wouldn't 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' be a good fit?"

Anson looked Lucas in the eye, "The security team is down to four people?"

Lucas was stunned, caught off guard by Anson, and almost nodded in agreement.

Anson watched as Lucas almost broke through but braked at the last moment and finally didn't fall for it. He couldn't help but spread his hands to express regret, "Almost, just a little bit."

Lucas:…

Anson didn't continue to joke, "The age is not right."

"I know that these Hollywood projects have more than one way to change the script. The gender of the character can be changed, the race can be changed, not to mention the age?"

"But in this project, Willy Wonka is a character who carries dreams and hopes. He has gone through many vicissitudes but still maintains his innocence. His age and experience are important parts of the character, and I don't want to change it at will."

“Now that I have the power to choose, instead of catering to the project and catering to the other party, why not choose roles and projects that are really suitable for me and that I am also interested in?”

"Of course, in the final analysis, it was the character of Willy Wonka that didn't impress me."

"Luca, I told you I need to rest for a while. I'm not mentally ready. I'm not eager to try out these roles now."

“So, I’d rather refuse.”

From all aspects, including the sincerity of Warner Bros., "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is indeed a good choice. The most important thing is that this project has the ability to leverage and make Sony Columbia feel threatened. Lucas and Edgar reached a consensus on this and took it into their considerations.

But now it seems that Anson remains sober and calm, not caring at all, and remains true to himself even amidst the temptations and shocks of the world of fame and fortune.

This is a good thing.

(End of this chapter)