Hollywood Director 1992.

Chapter 368: Link becomes a touchstone for the film, riding horses on a farm vacation (5K)

After spending a confusing night at Michelle's house, Link returned to the company to deal with work matters.

After editing "The English Patient" and "Scream", he began to prepare for a new movie. His next movie is "The Rock". There are three pending projects: "Saving Private Ryan", "Fight Club" and "Primal Fear".

When preparing for a new movie, Warner Bros. general producer Richard Fox found him again, took out a script and asked him if he was interested in directing.

The script is called "Twister," a disaster film with a cost budget of approximately $9000 million.

Since the investment is relatively large, they need to find a director with box office success to direct the film.

After reading the script, Link felt it was good and wanted to direct it.

The conditions he offered were 20% of the North American box office, 15% of the overseas box office, or a basic salary of 1000 million + 15% of the global box office share.

The last time he directed "Batman Forever", the conditions given by Warner Bros. Pictures were that if the North American box office exceeded 4 million, 10% of the global box office, and if the North American box office exceeded 5 million, an additional 10% of the global box office share would be added to the original basis.

But that was last year's price. This year, "The Butterfly Effect" directed by Link grossed 1.42 million US dollars in North America and 3.2 million US dollars worldwide. "The Sixth Sense" was released four weeks ago and grossed 2.48 million US dollars in North America and 1.21 million US dollars overseas. The global box office is expected to exceed 8 million US dollars.

The success of these films also shows that Link is a very high-level director. The films he directs are guaranteed to be box office hits, so his pay will naturally increase.

Now, no matter who invites him to make a movie, he can unconditionally ask for 20% North American box office share + 15% overseas box office share.

"20%?"

When Richard Fox heard his price, a conflicted expression appeared on his face.

Before coming, he was prepared to be hit by Link, but 20% North American box office + 15% overseas box office exceeded his expectations.

"Link, we are acquaintances. Our last collaboration on the Batman project went smoothly. When the company was considering candidates for director, you were the first person I thought of. I hope we can discuss your salary."

Richard Fox began to play the emotional card, hoping that he would lower the price.

The price Richard offered was 15% of the North American box office and 10% of the overseas box office. If the global box office exceeded US$6 million, he would give out another 5% of the overseas box office as a reward.

"Richard, you know that there are many film companies looking for me to make movies now, including Disney, MGM, and Universal Pictures. 20% of the North American box office + 15% of the overseas box office is a unified offer, and there can be no exception for Warner Bros. Pictures."

What Link said was not a lie. During this period, many film companies sent him scripts and invited him to direct, including Disney's "Ransom Storm", MGM's "007" sequel, Universal Pictures' "The Mummy" project, etc.

His current work schedule is very tight and he cannot direct so many films at the same time. He can only choose to direct films with greater script potential and higher pay.

"Okay, I'll get back to discuss this and give you an answer."

Richard Fox left the office with a frustrated look on his face.

But when he walked out of Guess Pictures, his expression suddenly became lively and a smile appeared on his face.

Once in the car, he called President Miguel Goss and told him about his discussion with Link and the offer Link had made.

Miggoth also thought that the offer was too high. Whether it was 20% of the North American box office + 15% of the overseas box office, or 1000 million basic salary + 15% of the global box office share, the price exceeded their expectations.

“Is there any room for negotiation?”

"It's difficult. After the huge success of The Sixth Sense, everyone knows that Link's movies will not lose money. More and more companies are looking for him to make movies. He has no shortage of movie projects and his quotes for film salaries will be tougher. It will be difficult to lower the price before he fails."

"This guy makes movies very quickly, two or three a year, and earns hundreds of millions of dollars. He makes more money as a director than running a film company." Miggos sighed, "So should we still ask Link to direct this project?"

"We can find him. With him, the film won't lose money. It's OK to have someone else direct it. Everyone says that Link has a good eye for selecting films. After reading the script of Twister, he expressed interest in directing it. This also shows that our script is good and has investment potential. If we find someone else to direct it, it may also be a big hit."

Richard Fox said with a grin.

"Hmm, that seems to be the case. Since Link has a very good eye for selecting films, should we find a few more scripts to invite him to? We can start filming the ones he likes, and give up on the ones he doesn't like?"

Miggosi has a lot of ideas.

Richard Fox curled his lips. Was he going to use Link as the gatekeeper of the film project? Was he going to let him check all the company's projects?
It's okay to do it occasionally, but Link is not an idiot, and it would be embarrassing if he found out too many times.

"Okay, what you said makes sense. Let's discuss the director of 'Tornado' again. If we can't find a suitable director, we can consider Link again."

Miggos said.

"Then it's settled."

Richard Fox hung up the phone, looked back at the Guess What Pictures building, and left in a car.
-
After seeing Richard Fox off, Link was busy in the office until the afternoon. After finishing the work in his hands, he called Liu Xiaoli and left the company to go home.

Christmas is coming, and the festive atmosphere in Los Angeles is gradually getting stronger.

Hollywood film studios began to take holidays, and wealthy people went out to travel and vacation.

Link also plans to take the women in his family to live on a farm in Provence in southern France for a while, and then fly to the Swiss Alps to ski.

Since some of the women in the family still had work to do and some had to go home to spend the holidays with their parents, in the end only twelve people went to travel to Europe together, including Liu Xiaoli and her daughter, Monica Bellucci, the three Jennifers, Sandra Bullock, Brooke Shields, Milla Jovovich, etc.

However, after arriving at the farm in Provence, Sophie Marceau and Emmanuelle Béart joined in one after another, and the farm villa became lively.

"What are you doing?"

At noon, the sun was shining brightly and the lavender farm was filled with the faint fragrance of flowers. Link, Renée Zellweger and Jennifer Aniston were teaching Liu Xixi how to ride a horse on the grass, and Sophie Marceau and Sandra Bullock walked over side by side.

“We’re riding horses.”

Link patted the horse's back. It was a Norman miniature horse with pure white fur and snow-white mane. It was less than 150 cm tall at the shoulders and had a gentle personality. It was suitable for children to ride and for entertainment performances. It was also one of the gifts Link gave to Liu Xixi.

"What a beautiful pony."

Sophie Marceau and Sandra Bullock also came over to touch the pony's neck.

Pony turned around and touched their palms with his forehead.

"Wow, that's cute too."

Sandra Bullock laughed.

"Sophie, Sandra, her name is Ice Cream and she is two years old."

Liu Qianqian was wearing a children's equestrian suit, sitting on the horse's back, hugging the pony's neck with both hands, looking very happy.

"Ice cream? That sounds nice."

Sophie Marceau praised.

"Okay, you've seen enough, you can let go now. I'm going to ride the ice cream for a few laps."

Liu Qianqian waved the whip, eager to experience the feeling of galloping on the grass.

"Slow down, don't ride too fast, be careful not to fall to the ground."

"I know, I know!"

The little girl waved her hands, somewhat impatiently.

Link loosened the reins and let Liu Qianqian ride the pony slowly. With two servants watching over her, there was no need to worry about her falling off.

After a while, the farm manager and the equestrian brought two tall horses with shiny fur.

The black horse in front is slightly larger in size, with a slim and strong physique, a well-proportioned structure, well-developed muscles, and black fur that shines glossy in the sun.

The latter one is a chestnut horse with strong limbs, a round back, long mane on its neck, and a very elegant appearance.

These two horses are good horses that Link specially bought when he acquired the farm. They are usually kept on the farm and trained by a professional horse breeding team. Sometimes they are rented out for competitions or performances.

Renée Zellweger and Jennifer Aniston saw two beautiful horses coming, cheered happily, and rushed forward to take the reins.

Renée Zellweger is from Texan and learned to ride a horse when she was in her teens. She grabbed the saddle and successfully mounted the horse's back. She gently hit the horse's belly with the stirrup. The big black horse moved its hooves and walked quickly on the grass.

Jennifer Aniston had never seen a horse before, but she wanted to ride a horse on the grass. When she saw Renee climb onto the horse's back easily, she tried to do the same, but her hands and feet were not coordinated and she almost fell to the ground.

Link lifted her hips and put her on the saddle, then pulled the reins and walked forward. Sophie Marceau and Sandra Bullock also followed him for a walk in the sun. During the chat, Sophie Marceau talked about her recent film "Anna Karenina".

The film is adapted from the novel of the same name by Russian writer Leo Tolstoy. It tells the story of an aristocratic woman Anna who meets playboy Vronsky on a train and falls in love with him. In pursuit of love, she gives up her husband and son, but is finally betrayed by Vronsky. After losing everything, Anna chooses to commit suicide by lying on the railway tracks to end her tragic life.

The film cost 800 million francs to produce.

In order to make the filming of this movie possible, Sophie specially founded a film company and invested 100 million francs into the project, which was almost all of her fortune.

Sophie was a little nervous when talking about investing in movies, worried that the movie would lose money and she would lose all her money.

Link smiled softly and said, "You are an artist, why do you care about the box office?"

"Of course I care. That 100 million francs is what I worked so hard to earn by making movies over the past few years. If the box office is not good, all my previous work will be in vain."

Sophie Marceau gave him a coquettish look. Her clear and bright eyes made her cheeks more delicate and lively, and her delicate and smooth skin was like a peeled egg.

"Don't worry. The movie hasn't been released yet, and the box office performance is uncertain. It won't necessarily make a loss. Even if it does, it doesn't matter. Just take it as a learning experience and try to do better next time to make back the lost money."

Link consoled.

Sandra Bullock also laughed and said, "Sophie, Link is an expert in film investment. Now many film companies are testing him with scripts and listening to his comments on the scripts. If he thinks it's good, it means the project has great potential. If he doesn't like it, it means there is something wrong with the project. Next time you want to invest in a movie, you can ask Link to look at the script. With his help, it will be difficult for your movie to lose money."

Link smiled and said, "Although most of the movies I selected are box office hits, they haven't reached the level of 100% box office success. You can trust me but don't be superstitious. Sophie, what's the name of your film company? Do you still want to accept investment? I can participate."

"It's called the Love Rose Film Company, which is the name of my last movie. This company is very small, with only two or three employees. Do you want to invest in it too?"

Sophie Marceau looked at him with a smile and reached out to hold his empty arm.

Link smiled and said, "The size of a film company doesn't matter, as long as it can invest in movies. I will invest 500 million francs in you, and you can choose good film script projects in Europe. If there are suitable movies, we will invest in them through Rose Films. We will focus on low-cost art films first, and then consider investing in blockbusters when the company earns enough capital."

"Okay, I listen to you!"

Sophie smiled slightly and stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek.

Link led the horse and took Jennifer Aniston for a walk on the grass. Aniston felt that she had learned it well and wanted to ride the horse fast on the grass. Link was worried that she would get hurt, so he turned the rope, mounted the horse, and hugged her and ran back and forth on the grass twice.

At the beginning, Jennifer was very excited. She sat on the horse's back like a female general and shouted loudly. However, the red horse under her crotch was also very excited, running and jumping around, and her butt would be shaken if she sat on it for too long.

Last night she, Renee, and Cindy Crawford slept in the master bedroom.

Since we had just come here for vacation, everyone was excited about the new environment and had some fun.

After riding for a while, Jennifer Aniston blushed and asked Link to stop.

After Jennifer got off, Sandra Bullock and Sophie Marceau also climbed on the horse and asked him to take them for a few laps.

Link held them in his arms and took turns running on the grass.

Liu Xixi came back on horseback and saw that they were having a lot of fun. She pouted and asked Link to take her for a quick ride.

Link also let the little girl have a good time.

The group played at the horse farm for more than three hours and returned to the main villa of the manor for lunch at around 2:00 p.m.

"What were you doing outside? Why did you run upstairs to change your pants as soon as Jennifer came back?"

Monica came down the stairs wearing a halter dress, her curvy figure faintly visible under the thin fabric. As she spoke, there was a smile on her pretty face, looking lazy and charming.

"No way, you guys are eating outside again?"

Sophia stared at the few people, especially at Link.

"No, we were riding horses, and Jennifer was hit on the butt by the horse. She must have gone up to change her skirt. I will also need to change soon. My breeches are too tight and uncomfortable."

Renée Zellweger kicked off her riding boots.

"Your butt is too big. Renee, you should be careful not to let Link do that, otherwise your butt will be too big and it will affect your filming."

Angelina Jolie took a photo as she passed by.

"Hate!"

Renee glanced at Sandra Bullock, Brooke Shields, Monica and others, "I'm not the biggest here, not even in the top five. You should persuade them."

"Reni, don't listen to her. This kind of body shape is very sexy. Many people can't achieve it through fitness or plastic surgery. I want to have a body shape like this in the future." Liv Tyler leaned on the sofa, eating snacks and looking at Renee's figure with some envy.

"Don't worry, with Link here, you'll be able to do it in two years."

Renée Zellweger smiled while stroking her buttocks.

While Renée Zellweger and the others were chatting, Link was on the phone. It was Michelle Pfeiffer calling from the United States, asking when they would go skiing in Switzerland. She and Diane Lane were going to join them after finishing their work.

Link said there will be snow in the Alps in the next few days and people can go skiing in Switzerland around next week.

"Next week is just right. I will be almost done with my work next week, so I can fly over to meet you. By the way, Judy also wants to ski. Can I invite her to come with me?"

Michelle Pfeiffer laughed on the phone, and along with the laughter came Jodie Foster's voice, threatening her not to say anything, she didn't say she was going skiing.

When Link heard Judy's voice, he couldn't help but cover his forehead. The last time he was working in the bedroom, he was working hard when he suddenly saw a person leaning against the door, staring at him, and he didn't know how long he had been standing there.

Link almost lost control and sprained his waist.

Jodie Foster did not panic after being discovered. She just coldly asked them to keep their noise down and not disturb her rest, then slammed the door and left.

Influenced by this woman, the two-hour homework that night had to be reduced to seventy minutes.

When Link heard Michelle say that Judy was coming too, he didn't object, but only asked Judy not to peek at the door.

"Who wants to peek? The beast!"

Jodie Foster's voice came over the phone, with some embarrassment.

Link didn't want to argue with her, so he chatted for a while and returned to the living room to enjoy lunch.

Back in Los Angeles, after Michelle Pfeiffer hung up the phone, she looked at Jodie Foster, whose cheeks were flushed, with a smile.

"What are you looking at?"

Jodie Foster rolled her eyes at her and opened her magazine to cover her face.

"Honey, have you noticed that you blush more and more often, especially when you mention Link, you can't help blushing and even lose your temper. Tell me the truth, do you like Link too?" Michelle Pfeiffer pointed at her cheek and smiled.

"No, I can't possibly like a man."

Jodie Foster pushed her hand away and looked at the magazine absentmindedly. After reading a few lines, she looked up and her eyes met Michelle's. She glared at Michelle angrily, threw the magazine and said, "I don't like that Playboy. I'm just a little curious about him."

"Curious about what?" Michelle Pfeiffer laughed.

Jodie Foster's cheeks flushed, she stretched out her arm and made a fist to measure Michelle's lower abdomen, "It's almost to the stomach, aren't you and Diane scared?"

Michelle Pfeiffer chuckled and whispered something in her ear, telling her some private stories about her time with Link.

Jodie Foster blushed, felt her body getting hot, and her thigh itched. She pushed Michelle away and said, "Okay, I know. You don't have to go into so much detail. I'm not interested in this kind of thing."

"is it?"

Michelle Pfeiffer smiled, picked up the mask and put it on her cheek, "Diane and I are flying to France next week, do you want to come with us?"

"No! I have work to do."

"Okay, whatever you want."

Michelle Pfeiffer smiled and stopped trying to persuade her.

(End of this chapter)