The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 1890 Dilemma
Marvel Entertainment. "Iron Man". Kevin Feige.

The matter is actually very simple.

Over the past six months, Lucas has been in contact with Marvel Entertainment, attempting to acquire Marvel completely and make it part of Forest Pictures.

However, Lucas encountered some difficulties.

Logically speaking, Anson led "Spider-Man 2" to a box office miracle, which is a living golden brand, so things should be simpler.

But to everyone's surprise, things became more complicated because of Anson's presence.

The success, even the brilliance, of "Spider-Man 2" ignited Marvel Entertainment's hopes, and all the major Hollywood film studios took notice of this opportunity, which meant that Marvel Entertainment's chances of finding investment and cooperation had greatly increased.

They hoped to find a powerful partner, rather than a small workshop like Forest Pictures, whose fate and hope rested entirely on Anson. On the surface, Anson seemed to be at the height of his power, but in the end, his foundation was too shallow, and no one knew when he would fail or collapse.

Marvel Entertainment sees Forest Pictures as no different from them.

However, aside from Forest Pictures, Marvel Entertainment's collaboration journey has not been smooth either. They are eager to cooperate, but refuse to relinquish creative decision-making power, and those high-and-mighty giants are simply not interested.

More importantly, these industry giants are all shrewd. Although Sony Columbia completely turned its predicament around with the success of Spider-Man, Warner Bros. is also at a loss with a huge DC Comics copyright library. The success of Spider-Man does not mean the success of the entire genre.

Therefore, they tend to be Sony Columbia, not Warner Bros.

In other words, they want to buy the rights to a character, not to acquire Marvel Entertainment as a whole, nor to develop a project on an equal footing.

Marvel Entertainment is unwilling.

Firstly, in order to make a living, they had already auctioned off a series of individual copyrights in the 1990s and were really unwilling to repeat the same mistake.

Secondly, they insisted on having creative decision-making power and controlling the quality of the film themselves; otherwise, even if the film was released, it might fail and still not be able to completely reverse Marvel's predicament.

So, things stalled there.

Those who are satisfied with Marvel Entertainment are not valued by Marvel Entertainment; those who are satisfied with Marvel Entertainment refuse to compromise.

Lucas was very patient. He knew that Marvel Entertainment's pride was being eroded little by little. The longer it was delayed, the more Marvel Entertainment's value would continue to decline, and it would be close to taking out a mortgage loan from the bank. For Forest Pictures, they could also complete the acquisition at a lower price.

Here, it's important to strike a balance; too early or too late won't work.

Lucas has been keeping a close eye on it.

Tonight, Anson has a mission: to demonstrate Forest Films' sincerity and convince Marvel Entertainment that he is the right choice.

This role is very special; no one else can do it—not Lucas, not Edgar, it has to be Anson, the current Spider-Man actor.

In fact, just like the college's approach to Anson, it was a matter of timing and method. Frank was the wrong example, while Sid was the right one.

Being too proactive won't work; being too aloof won't work either. Negotiation, in its essence, is an art.

In the crowd, Anson found Kevin Feige.

But Anson did not go forward directly.

Kevin Feige is now like a frightened bird, highly wary. If Anson takes the initiative to approach him, Kevin will immediately become alert, believing that Anson is a lobbyist for Forest Films. Before the negotiations have even begun, his preconceived notions have already disrupted the balance, thus wasting Lucas's patience during this period.

Therefore, Anson cannot be too hasty; he needs to set a trap and wait for the rabbit to run into the tree stump.

After a closer look, Anson noticed Kevin Feige's target.

Bob Iger, Disney's new CEO. It must be said, Kevin has a keen eye for talent.

Not only because, based on the trajectory of their past development, Kevin and Bob's collaboration forged Disney's business empire; but also because, given the current situation, Bob, now in charge, is considering Disney's future direction, and they need to break with the old ways to establish a new one in order to overcome the current predicament.

Marvel.

This is the answer Kevin presented to Bob, and from this small detail, it is clear that Kevin has indeed demonstrated his unique business acumen.

To say Kevin is a highly creative producer would be an exaggeration, but there's no doubt he's a top-notch businessman. He knows how to cater to the market and how to leverage traffic. He's absolutely a key contributor to the Marvel Cinematic Universe's eventual growth into a behemoth.

Bob is indeed Kevin's best opportunity right now.

However, Kevin only knew one side of the story—

It's all about timing.

At the premiere of "The Princess Diaries 2" last summer, Bob extended an olive branch to Anson. Currently, Bob's focus is still on fantasy fairy tale adaptations, which is the choice that fits Disney's style. Bob does not think that venturing into comic book adaptations like Warner Bros. is the right choice.

In other words, Kevin's time is not yet ripe.

Moreover, Kevin is currently just an unknown nobody.

This producer, who later led Marvel Entertainment to dominate half of Hollywood, is now... just an assistant.

Yes, assistant to the CEO of Marvel Entertainment.

Because Kevin is very knowledgeable about comics and has a keen sense of the market, he has been authorized to participate in the creative production of "X-Men" for the past three years.

However, without a professional title or position, he is currently still working in Hollywood as an "assistant," which is far from enough to be a stepping stone.

In the "X-Men" series, Kevin's opinions and ideas were affirmed. When Marvel Entertainment was in dire straits, it finally decided to go all out and take on the responsibility of creating "Iron Man". After careful selection, Kevin finally came into view and took on the role of producer.

This is a turning point, an opportunity for Kevin's career.

Kevin is trying to seize the opportunity and rise to the top in one fell swoop.

To some extent, this is also Kevin's bottom line. When he was in contact and discussing with those big shots, he always tried to put himself in the position of a producer, always tried to fight for the initiative for himself and Marvel Entertainment, and always tried to avoid being devoured by these giants until nothing was left.

This is a battle, a battle for the survival of Marvel Entertainment, and a battle for his own career.

That is precisely why Kevin has always refused to compromise, and there may be personal reasons behind it, even if the price is that he drags "Iron Man" down with him.

Anyway... if he can't succeed by relying on "Iron Man," then we'll all perish together.

Tonight, at the Golden Globe Awards, this is the last and best chance.

Kevin can't wait until the Oscars.

Regardless of whether he can make it onto the list for "Oscar Night" hosted by Vanity Fair after the Oscars, even if he could, the atmosphere, environment, and nature of the event would be completely different, and he might not be able to get close to his goal.

But the Golden Globes are different. The chaotic and unpredictable celebration parties are precisely the best opportunity for an unknown like Kevin to turn the tide.

However, Anson believed Kevin should be disappointed.

(End of this chapter)