Chinese Entertainment: Starting from 1996

Chapter 544 Preparation and Audition

After the general direction was agreed upon, the specific details were communicated between Edwards and Warner's production department.

For a big company like Warner, negotiating contracts is commonplace, so they have templates for the contracts.

The two parties drafted the contract that day, but out of caution, Edwards took the contract back to have his lawyer review it.

Warner did not set any traps in the contract, and Summit Entertainment is not a newcomer. Doing any small tricks will only make them look low-minded.

So the next day, Edwards came to Warner again to sign the cooperation contract for "Joker".

There is not much change in the content of the contract. Although Liu Zhou does not need to receive any salary, the total investment of "Joker" is still set at 70 million US dollars.

Then Summit Entertainment invested 50 million US dollars, accounting for 60% of the share, and Warner invested 20 million US dollars plus the copyright of the Joker, accounting for 40% of the share.

The film's distribution in North America will be handled by both companies, while overseas distribution will be entirely handed over to Warner.

Then director Liu Zhou, screenwriter and producer received a package fee of US$6 million, equivalent to 10% of the film's North American box office.

This is something that Liu Zhou has gained an advantage over others, because as long as "Joker" earns 60 million U.S. dollars in North America, he will not lose money.

As for this movie, although Warner did not know like Liu Zhou that it would be a box office hit, most of them also thought it was a good script.

In addition, the character of the Joker is so popular nowadays, even if the plot of the movie has nothing to do with the Joker in "Batman", it can still take advantage of this popularity.

Therefore, Warner estimates that the North American box office for the movie "Joker" is around 100 million US dollars.

In this way, Liu Zhou can get a reward of about 10 million US dollars.

However, an evaluation is just an evaluation after all. No one can predict the exact result until the dust settles, especially for movies, which have too much uncertainty.

Therefore, they particularly welcomed Liu Zhou's approach of not taking any money but being willing to share the risk.

As long as it does not involve core movies, it is the kind that is sure to make money. Not only Warner, but most of the film and television companies in Hollywood are willing to let directors or actors not receive any salary but just take the share.

After all, they don't have a golden finger, and can't know in advance whether a movie will be successful or not like Liu Zhou.

Therefore, in order to reduce risks, film and television companies usually attract more investors for a film, especially those with larger investments.

There is also a golden rule in the director circle, which is that directors should never invest in their own movies, which is almost a reflection of this situation.

Of course, this situation only applies to ordinary actors or directors, but for top directors or superstars, this is not a problem.

They not only want to get the film salary, but also the share of the profits.

The top stars in Hollywood usually receive a salary of twenty plus twenty, which is twenty million US dollars plus a twenty percent share of the North American box office.

It's similar for top directors, the best directors can get twenty plus twenty.

However, there are only a handful of directors who can get this treatment, unlike actors, such as James Cameron, Spielberg, George Lucas and a few others.

Even Chris Nolan, who made the "Batman" trilogy, was not good enough. After proving his ability with "Inception", he only got twenty plus ten.

In the original time and space, it was after "Interstellar" that Warner gave him a twenty plus twenty treatment.

Therefore, Liu Zhou's minor fame in Hollywood is just minor fame. If he did not have the status of the boss of Summit Entertainment and a wealthy man, he would just be an up-and-coming director.

It may have some status for some actors and stars, but for those top superstars and the Big Seven in Hollywood, it is not as important as imagined.

Otherwise, Liu Zhou would not have to deduct his remuneration from his investment in order to get a share of the box office revenue.

In addition, except for the main photographer and lighting technician who will be selected by Liu Zhou himself, the rest of the production team will also be formed by Warner.

Summit Entertainment could certainly form a production team for Liu Zhou, but because the company currently has too many projects and is short of manpower, it handed it over to Warner.

As one of the Big Seven, Warner has greater connections and influence, and is likely to form a more outstanding production team.

After signing the contract, both parties began formally preparing for the film.

First, the two parties jointly registered a film studio and operated the film under the name of this studio. This method is very common in Hollywood. After the project is completed, the studio will be deregistered.

Then Liu Zhou also called over Lu Le, the photographer with whom he had collaborated many times before. The two sides already had a good understanding of each other, and he was able to use him more easily.

As for the lighting technician, Liu Zhou found a more experienced one in Hollywood.

Many plots in the movie "Joker" take place at night, so the lighting requirements are quite high.

Afterwards, Liu Zhou also asked several executive producers arranged by Warner to go and shoot the scene.

The story of "Joker" is set in the 1980s, and in order to better promote the movie after its release, the movie still establishes a connection with the Joker in DC comics.

This movie is set in the origin of the Joker, that is, how he gradually became Batman's lifelong enemy.

Of course, the movie does not involve any super powers, and the Joker is just an ordinary person.

So even though it’s not explicitly stated, the story is still set in Gotham.

This can only be filmed in big cities like New York, Los Angeles or Chicago, and it is best to be in New York, after all, Gotham generally refers to New York.

At the same time, Liu Zhou also needs to start making a detailed shooting plan.

After all, Hollywood is not like China, where people can be more free-spirited. Here, everyone is used to "acting according to plan."

After these preliminary preparations were completed, more than half a month had passed and it was April before we knew it.

The next most important thing is the selection of actors.

"Joker" is a male-centered movie, and it can almost be regarded as a one-man show by the male protagonist, and the female protagonist has almost no role.

So Liu Zhou also invited Anne Hathaway to make a cameo appearance in the role of the heroine.

Although the relationship between the two did not break up, it inevitably became much more distant.

Anne Hathaway is no longer the little star she used to be, but has become a top actress in Hollywood.

And because of Liu Zhou's support, Anne Hathaway has become even more popular than before, starring in three popular science fiction movies, Source Code, Edge of Tomorrow, and Lucy. So now Anne Hathaway is also very busy. Not to mention going to the mainland to find him, even if he came to Hollywood, Anne Hathaway would not have much time to accompany Liu Zhou.

In addition, Liu Zhou has also been very busy in the past two years, so except for a brief meeting at the launching ceremony of the Jiahe Film and Television Industry Base, the two have not seen each other again for more than two years.

No matter how good the relationship is, it will fade if you don't see each other for more than two years, not to mention that the two people rarely contact each other during this period.

To be honest, Liu Zhou was of course attracted by her beauty at the beginning, but he didn't expect to meet Anne Hathaway, who had just debuted and was still relatively innocent.

If both parties get what they want, he would of course be happy to see it happen, but he didn't expect that Anne Hathaway would actually fall in love with her.

During that period, her dependence and trust on Liu Zhou inevitably caused ripples in Liu Zhou's heart, and he definitely couldn't be ruthless.

So Liu Zhou also arranged more resources for her and let Dingfeng Entertainment protect her, which saved her from a lot of troubles and gave her a greater advantage when obtaining film resources.

But it is also because of Summit Entertainment's care that Anne Hathaway's road to stardom has become much easier.

People's mentality will inevitably change after becoming famous, not to mention that Hollywood is a huge world of fame and fortune.

Having seen and experienced so much, Anne Hathaway is no longer as naive as before.

Since Liu Zhou came to Hollywood this time, he could feel how the two of them got along.

Although the two were equally passionate about each other, Liu Zhou clearly did not have the harmonious feeling they had before.

Although Liu Zhou's feelings for Anne Hathaway have faded a lot since they last saw each other for more than two years, he still felt a little strange when he saw her like this.

Men are sometimes greedy or double-standard. They can change their minds, but they don’t want women to change their minds as well.

However, Liu Zhou quickly drove away this trace of strangeness. Since the feelings have faded, there is no need to talk about feelings. This way, it is good for both parties to get what they need.

Originally, Liu Zhou's career center is in the mainland, and he generally spends relatively little time in Hollywood. The lack of emotional ties makes him feel more relaxed.

Anne Hathaway is still at the peak of her beauty, so stunningly beautiful that he is reluctant to let her go completely.

But Anne Hathaway also understands Liu Zhou's strength in Hollywood and his help to her all the time, so if they have time occasionally, the two will naturally go racing together.

This time, Liu Zhou asked Anne Hathaway to come and make a guest appearance, but it was not out of gratitude, it was a win-win situation.

The movie can use her fame to attract more audiences in the early stages, and she can also have greater exposure.

Although she didn't have many roles as the heroine in the movie, after all, the movie "Joker" had a box office of over 1 billion US dollars, so she would definitely be brought along during the promotion period, and this is also a good resume.

Anne Hathaway immediately accepted Liu Zhou's invitation.

Although her role was not as big as in their previous films, she was still willing to act out of trust in Liu Zhou.

And since Liu Zhou had helped her so much, Anne Hathaway might also want to give back.

After the female lead was confirmed, Liu Zhou also successfully invited Robert De Niro to play the talk show host through Warner's connections.

After these two roles with more screen time were decided, Liu Zhou also began to formally select the male lead Arthur Fleck.

The first choice is of course Joaquin Phoenix, who was born in 1974 and is now 37 years old.

For a talented actor like him, his acting skills should have been honed at this age.

And after his brother died of an overdose in the 1990s, Joaquin Phoenix learned a profound lesson and turned over a new leaf.

Although I'm not a good baby, and there are no good babies in Hollywood, I no longer touch things like laundry detergent.

As long as he doesn't touch this thing, Liu Zhou can use it with confidence.

Joaquin Phoenix, who was invited by Warner, immediately fell in love with the role of Arthur Fleck after reading part of the script.

Although he is not very famous in Hollywood, he is quite well-known in the circle.

He is like an outlier, always playing some awkward, weird, extreme or perverted roles, but his outstanding acting skills are still loved by directors and fans.

However, he never cares about the Oscars and never attends any ceremony even if he is nominated.

Seeing how arrogant he was, the Oscars certainly would not give him face, and he was never nominated for an Oscar again.

Liu Zhou wants to win an Oscar with this movie. I wonder if it will have any impact if Joaquin Phoenix is ​​cast as the male lead.

But with the operation of Warner and Summit Entertainment, Liu Zhou himself should not be affected.

And there is one thing about Joaquin Phoenix that is difficult for his peers to understand, and that is that he retires from the screen at any time, even if he has just finished starring in a hit movie.

Others are striking while the iron is hot at this time, but he doesn't care at all. If he wants to take a break, he will just retire from the film industry without any hesitation.

He has been taking a break from acting recently, having starred in the 2008 romance film "Two Lovers," which was set in the Jewish community of Brighton Beach, New York.

He did receive other invitations during this period, but the scripts did not arouse his interest, so he simply took a break.

But the script of "Joker" caught his eye. Although the script was incomplete, the main line of the male protagonist made him fall in love with this role.

So after receiving the script, he responded immediately. After hearing about the audition, he spent a whole week preparing. He then came from Miami to Los Angeles, which he had not seen for a long time, and then went straight to Warner headquarters.

He was very surprised when he saw that the director was actually a Chinese.

There are Chinese gangs in Hollywood, but their influence is small. The biggest star is Jackie Chan, but he is just an actor.

Moreover, in his impression, the Chinese elements in Hollywood are generally Kung Fu. Although it has also set off a craze for horror movies, it soon faded away.

He couldn't help but be surprised that a Chinese director had come up with a script with such depth.

After a brief exchange, he also understood that the Chinese director had absolute control over the film.

He is not only the director and screenwriter, but also the producer. In Hollywood, if a director holds the title of producer, it generally means that the director is the loudest person in the crew.

So even though he saw that Liu Zhou was very young, he did not dare to be negligent in the slightest.

(End of this chapter)