America: My Time

Chapter 1031 Acquisition Offer

Chapter 1021 Acquisition Offer

The reason why Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media have such a strong attitude, and why they can ignore the Screen Actors Guild and the suppression in California, is because they have enough confidence. With the system of Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media, even if they leave Hollywood, they will not worry about their future development. They have already embarked on the right path, and a little pressure is not worth mentioning!
Did Barrydiller secure a perfect deal with Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media? This is a question that has always been a top priority for major Hollywood studios, but unfortunately, no one truly knows. Barrydiller himself has remained tight-lipped, offering no response whatsoever, not even within Oil Capital.

In fact, major Hollywood companies have their own systems for learning from the two major media groups, since there are always some rumors circulating. However, no one can truly grasp the essence of these systems, so they constantly stumble and fall into pitfalls on their learning journey, paying a heavy price. Every failure is excruciating and severely damages their vitality!

Repeated failures have made those Hollywood giants realize that what works for Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media may not work for them. At least they have encountered many problems with their film series, especially with the issue of actors, which has been a constant source of trouble. They simply cannot achieve the same level of success as Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media!

“George, do you know why those guys fail time and time again? It’s actually quite simple: they’re unwilling to take a gamble. They always want to leave themselves an escape route, they’re never willing to go straight for a real showdown. They don’t have the courage to burn their bridges. How can they expect to have a good outcome if they keep looking for ways out? When I took over Universal Pictures, I didn’t leave myself any way out. I partnered directly with Morgan, purged all the top executives, and then pushed things through according to my own ideas. That’s how we got Legendary Entertainment today. Phoenix Media is the same. If they had had enough courage, things wouldn’t be like this now!”

Is that really the only reason? Jack Valentine didn't believe John's words, and neither did George Lucas. After all, these two guys had been in this industry for too long, and neither of them believed that having enough courage was enough to succeed!

“Mr. John, if Hollywood completely follows the example of Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media, talent agencies and the Screen Actors Guild will go crazy. They will oppose it with all their might. Nobody wants to go back to the era of big studios. Hollywood will fall into even greater chaos, and things will get out of control!”

"Chairman Jack, you're exaggerating. Things aren't as dangerous as you make them out to be. Those guys simply couldn't have accomplished all this. They don't have the capability. Actors have never been Hollywood's priority; producers are. And if we don't curb the madness and greed of talent agencies, other Hollywood companies will get deeper and deeper into trouble, and bundled services will emerge. Then they'll have to pay the price for their stupidity. As for the actors, that's not a problem. Even if those stars want to cause trouble, as long as the Hollywood giants unite, they can completely blacklist them. They have no right to negotiate with us. Unfortunately, those guys simply refuse to listen to me. They don't have the courage to bear any losses, which is why we're in this situation now."

“John, your idea is too radical and too crazy. Those stars are the result of a lot of hard work in promoting them. They have a lot of box office appeal. We have no reason to give up such high-quality resources!”

Upon hearing George Lucas's words, John shook his head and sighed, "George, this is a problem with your mindset. A bunch of disobedient guys—is it really necessary to care about their meager profits? The more you act this way, the more arrogant they become, the more they think they're indispensable. In reality, they're nothing without our companies. Without the Hollywood platform, they have no value whatsoever. If we, the giants, can work together and completely blacklist them, no actor or agency in Hollywood will dare to oppose us anymore. Hollywood will be back in our hands! Capital controls everything, not so-called stars. You should understand that!"

John's argument made sense, but George Lucas couldn't accept it because capital doesn't represent everything, at least not in the film industry. There are plenty of failed investments, and even great directors have failed projects!

John's Capital did not gain the approval of George Lucas and Jack Valentine, who found it too crazy and unacceptable. However, John viewed their hesitation as outdated and out of touch with the times.

“George, I heard your Indiana Jones series project had to be halted. Since you can't handle everything, why not sell the project to Paramount? There's no hope left for you; the costs are enough to crush you!” “John, are you serious? Paramount Pictures wants to acquire our Indiana Jones series?” George Lucas's expression changed at this point. The series had indeed been affected and couldn't continue. It wasn't just the actors; the director's problems were giving him a headache. If they actually went ahead with filming, half the profits would be taken by these two companies!

"No, it's not Paramount Pictures that wants to acquire this series, but I have this idea. It's a project that could clearly make money, but it has to be abandoned because of issues with the director and actors. In my opinion, this is a waste of resources. If you have no objections, I will have Paramount acquire the rights to this series. Don't worry, you won't suffer any losses. I will definitely give you a satisfactory price. You know the 007 series. In my hands, it is still a very profitable project. I also have high hopes for the Indiana Jones series, but the premise is that there can be no failures. If it fails even once, the project will be finished!"

"I need time to think about it. This is no small matter, and I can't give you a definite answer right away!"

John nodded and said, “I understand. You really need to think this over carefully. Actually, if you’re still willing, I’d like to acquire the rights to the entire Star Wars series, and I’ll give you a good price. Even if you want to sell Lucasfilm, I can arrange for Paramount to acquire it. Think it over carefully. I have plenty of time to wait for your reply. Don’t worry about my sincerity; you can state any conditions you have.”

John's words shocked George Lucas and Jack Valentine, who hadn't expected him to have such an acquisition idea. Still reeling from the shock, the two left John's courtyard house. They had only come to persuade John to reconcile, but so much had happened in the meantime!

George Lucas was very interested, after all, Lucasfilm was his brainchild, and it would be a good thing for it to be acquired by Paramount Pictures. After all, Phoenix Media owns a global theater chain, and Phoenix Media's expansion in recent years has been supported by this theater chain. Hollywood does not dare to underestimate the power of this theater chain!

John believes that this is the best time to acquire Lucasfilm, not too early and not too late, and most importantly, it doesn't require paying too high a price. Both the Star Wars and Indiana Jones series have good financial prospects!
“John, why didn’t you invite them to stay for a meal? That’s a bit impolite!” Anna, the mother, sighed as she watched George Lucas and Jack Valentine leave.

“It’s not that I don’t want to invite them to dinner, but they don’t have time. They still need to reply to the US, and they’re anxiously awaiting their news. A meal isn’t as important as that. Besides, there will be other opportunities in the future. There’s no need to rush. They will stay here for a while. They can’t leave until they reach an agreement with me. This is their mission; they all have to repay favors!” John shook his head, a faint smile on his face.

John wasn't worried at all about whether the donkeys or the California officials would refuse his demands. If they couldn't show sincerity, they shouldn't expect him to let them off the hook. Not only would the two major media conglomerates leave, but Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures would also leave Hollywood. This time, he wasn't joking; he was serious. Of course, even if a settlement was reached, those who jumped out to cause trouble would be blacklisted by the two major media conglomerates!

At this point, John would not compromise, nor could he afford to. No one could change his mind; he wouldn't give them any face. The price to pay would be paid. Since those guys had already made their move, they had to bear the consequences. As for Lucasfilm, that wasn't a big problem. As long as George Lucas was willing to relinquish control, he had a chance to acquire it. After all, their relationship was quite good. If he showed enough 'sincerity,' everything would be fine!

Many people are now paying attention to John and this battle, wanting to know the final outcome. However, according to news from the United States, it is clear that John has gained an absolute advantage and forced the Donkey to compromise. Now it remains to be seen how much the Donkey will pay.

No one is optimistic about the Donald now, nor about oil capital. The voices of the two major media groups have put them under immense pressure, forcing the Donald to send George Lucas and Jack Valentine to negotiate with John. This alone shows how big the problem is in the United States and how terrifying John's counterattack will be!
(End of this chapter)