1977: The beginning of the blind date with the daughter of the king

Chapter 709 Truck Driver Signs Contract!

"Is this the directing contract Universal is offering me? You're allowing me to direct independently?"

"Mr. Edmund, you haven't picked up the wrong contract, have you?"

Sitting in front of the old sofa at home, James Cameron looked at the contract in front of him and couldn't help but hesitate before asking Edmund a question.

Although he is young, he has been working in the film and television industry for several years, working as a screenwriter, an assistant director, and even directing a film independently.

He knew how well Hollywood directors were treated; even directors selected by big studios probably didn't get such favorable contracts.

He was young, not stupid. How could such a windfall happen to a 28-year-old director?

Cameron has always been pursuing independent directing, but this contract is so good that it makes him hesitate.

"Hard to imagine, isn't it?"

“James, I can tell you, in all my years working at Universal, I’ve never seen such a favorable contract.”

"In fact, in all of Hollywood today, this contract has only been awarded to two people: Steven Spielberg and you!"

Edmund said with great emotion at this moment.

James Cameron looked completely bewildered.
Spielberg knew.

But what does this mean?
Is he on the same level as Spielberg?

"Sir, to be honest, I don't quite understand. Are you saying that, within the entire Universal Pictures, only Spielberg and I are qualified to sign this contract?"

James Cameron asked, puzzled.

Edmund nodded.

"Yes, I know you might not believe it and think I'm a fraud."

"Well then, if you have the time, how about we go to Universal Pictures headquarters together?"

"In fact, I came here today just to get in touch with you first. For the actual signing, you will need to meet with our president, Sidney Sheinberger."

"can!"

James Cameron relaxed his guard a little at this point and went to Universal Pictures to meet with Sheinberger.

Yes, he does know about Sieenberger; he's the current head of Universal.

So the next morning, he went to the headquarters of Universal.

Then he waited until the appointed time and met Edmund.

James Cameron felt a surge of joy when he saw Edmund.

The fact that the other party dared to come to Global Times suggests they are unlikely to be a scammer.

When I saw Edmund greeting people non-stop in the Global Building, my level of trust increased several notches.

Until he arrived at Sidney Sheinberger's office.

"Mr. Sean, James Cameron is here!"

"Hello, Mr. Sean."

Upon seeing the photo that matched the one in The Hollywood Reporter, James Cameron's worries instantly turned into joy, and he excitedly greeted Sidney Sheinberger.

"Hello, James!"

"Come on, sit down!"

Sidney invited him to sit down, then looked at James Cameron.

He couldn't understand why Victor would choose this person, a young director who was not yet thirty years old and a self-taught truck driver.

However, Hirenberger wouldn't pry into the details, since it was a well-known legend throughout the world that Victor would occasionally make a hunch about certain young people and then highly value them.

For example, Madonna, who is now becoming popular under Universal Music.

As Madonna rose to fame, her path to success was also revealed. Just like the lucky young man in front of us, Madonna was spotted by Victor in a New York cabaret and then given generous treatment and training.

Now, she has gradually become a rising star in the United States.

Could this young man be the next success story?

"Sir? Me."

Seeing Sidney staring at him, James Cameron hesitated.

This old guy, could he have a problem with his sexual orientation?
Otherwise, why would they have given him such a generous contract?

Are you curious about the contract and benefits offered to you by Universal?

Sidney finally spoke, smiling as he addressed James Cameron.

"Yes"

Cameron nodded seriously.

"Sir, I think you can tell me the reason, right?"

Sidney looked at Cameron with admiration.

"James, all I can say is, you're a lucky lad!"

“You yourself know very well that, normally, film companies would find it very difficult to offer such contracts to directors.”

"So it's normal for you to be hesitant and doubtful."

"Why do I say you're lucky? Because the person who offered you the contract wasn't me."

Do you know Mr. Victor?

Sidney finally explained to James Cameron.

“Mr. Victor? Who is that?”

James Cameron was full of doubt; he had never heard this name before.

Sure enough, he didn't recognize Victor.

Sidney got the answer and continued, "He's a very wealthy man and the largest shareholder of MCA today."

"The contract I gave you was made at his suggestion."

"To put it simply, Mr. Victor believes that there are currently three people in Hollywood who are worth this contract: George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and you!"

"The first two are both famous Hollywood directors. You are a newcomer who has only directed one film so far."

After hearing what Sidney said, James Cameron was even more puzzled.

"Mr. Sean, can I know why this is?"

It seems he has absolutely no connection with this mysterious Mr. Victor.

Sidney smiled and shook his head: "There's no definite answer, so I say you're a lucky lad."

"Of course, you're not the only one."

“In fact, before you, there was a lucky lady, and I think you should have heard of her name by now, Madonna Ciccone!” “Two years ago, she was just a dancer and singer at a theater in New York, and then Mr. Victor discovered her by chance, and then became convinced that she could become a singer who would lead the times, and then began to cultivate her with all his might.”

"Her contract terms were similar to yours now, and as you can see, McDonald's is now a huge hit across the United States."

"And you are the second lucky one!"

When James heard the name Madonna, he was still a little surprised. He knew that this rising star in the music scene had a bold and rebellious style that suited his taste.

So, was McDonald the lucky one who got there before him?

"So, have you thought it through? Do you want to accept this good fortune?"

Sidney looked intently at James Cameron.

At this moment, James Cameron began to lower his guard. In any case, this windfall might not be a fake.

"Mr. Sean, if I sign the contract, does that mean I'll have a production budget of twenty million dollars? And I'll be free to choose my own films? Including having editing rights?"

"I have a script I wrote that I want to film. Would Universal Studios allow it?"

At this moment, James Cameron asked seriously.

"Of course, these are all within the scope of the contract. As long as it is within the scope permitted by the contract, you can get comprehensive support from Global."

"But son, to be honest, I want to give you a piece of advice: if you're not absolutely sure, don't use up all your production quota at once."

"As you should have seen, there are restrictive clauses in the contract. If you use up all of your production quota at once, Universal's support for you will decrease significantly. So I hope you will be careful."

"As for your desire to film your script, of course, no problem. However, perhaps I think you could let us take a look at the script first, and maybe we can give you better suggestions."

Sidney said gently.

Upon hearing this, James Cameron hesitated for a moment, then took out a script from his briefcase.

"This is a story I came up with a few months ago in Rome, a story about a robot from the future returning to the present. I call it 'The Terminator'."

"I think this is a very exciting story, and I'm confident that it will be profitable to make a film!"

The Terminator originated from a dream he had while filming in Europe, in which he was being chased by people from the future, which inspired the plot idea.

After returning to the United States from Europe, he completed the script and then sought investment to bring it to life.

Most importantly, he wants to have complete control over the film, including the editing rights.

Sidney accepted the script noncommittally; this was basically the same line from every screenwriter who came to promote their work.

"Your story seems somewhat familiar to me. Perhaps I have a more complete script here."

After reading it, Sidney said with some suspicion.

"Hmm? This?"

James Cameron was somewhat surprised. What did Sidney mean by that?
Sidney then rummaged through the files nearby and pulled out a document.

"That's right, it's this one, [Mechanical Empire]."

Sidney found the file, glanced at it, and then pushed it in front of James Cameron.

"James, you should take a look at this. I think this story is more exciting and complete than yours!"

James Cameron curiously took the document and then opened it to read it.

He was somewhat surprised when he saw it.

His story does bear some resemblance to the document before him, but the difference is that this document constructs a complete, anti-human utopian mechanical empire.

In that future world, people are controlled by an invisible network, large corporations monopolize social resources, machines become dominant, and many humans are relegated to the bottom of society, or even become rebels.

The story begins with the invention of time-travel technology in the future, which reverses time in preparation for killing the leader of the human resistance.

Elements such as neural networks, war robots, liquid metal robots, and semi-possessed exoskeleton armor are accompanied by illustrations.

"This"

James Cameron was somewhat stunned. Was this considered plagiarism?
The main storylines are indeed somewhat similar, but the other story's setting is much more complete, including an entire social system.

Moreover, even the story of his Terminator series is not his own original creation; it also draws inspiration from the 1960s science fiction series "Outer Limits".

"So, James, isn't this story a bit more interesting than yours?"

"In fact, this is the script provided by Mr. Victor's company. Mr. Victor often has a lot of creative ideas. He will pass on some story ideas to the people in this company, and this company will turn many of his ideas into reality and write them into novels or screenplays."

“What you’re seeing is just one example; Mr. Victor says it’s an extension of cyberpunk culture.”

"In addition, his company has many similar story series, including a wonderful story about a magic academy that constructs a magical wizarding world."

"There is also the wasteland genre, where the remaining humans struggle in the wasteland due to the global wasteland caused by war."

"Including the mysterious zombie apocalypse, caused by a virus leak due to human virus research, all the people in the world have turned into zombies, the kind of monsters in 'Night of the Dead' and 'Dawn of the Dead'."

"To be honest, I was truly amazed by that company. Many of the stories were scenes I had never imagined before. Of course, most of them originated from some previous movie ideas."

"But under Mr. Victor's arrangement, they became complete worlds with a complete story system."

“James, if you’re thinking of making this, I actually suggest you take a look at the script for This Machine Empire. I think it’s more complete than your Terminator.”

Sidney said with a smile.

Mr. Victor took him to the company and told him that his purpose in finding the core directors was to have them turn his stories into movies.

In this respect, James Cameron is no different from the people at that content company; he was chosen by Mr. Victor to make movies for him.

He just couldn't say the reason directly.

At that moment, James Cameron's eyes were filled with anticipation as he listened to the topics Sidney mentioned; it seemed like a very interesting company.

"Mr. Sidney, may I go and take a look at that company?"

James Cameron said with great anticipation.

"Of course, that's on the condition that you sign this contract."

"That's Mr. Victor's private content company, and many of its story systems are still kept secret."

Before Sidney could finish speaking, James Cameron took the contract without hesitation and signed his name on it.

He felt there was no need to doubt anymore; the fact that Sidney Sheinberger had talked to him for so long was enough to demonstrate the other party's sincerity.

Even if there really is a problem, he'll accept it.

"Wait a moment, I'll have my lawyer arrange it, and then I'll have Edmund take you there!"

Sidney Sheinberg smiled as he watched James Cameron sign the contract.

Very well, Mr. Victor's instructions have been fulfilled.

Meanwhile, inside a building in San Francisco's Chinatown.

Li Changhe, accompanied by Gong Xue and a group of bodyguards, was standing in front of a map, listening to the agent's explanation.

(End of this chapter)