America: My Time

Chapter 315 Sergio Leon

Chapter 315 Sergio Leon

“I know I don’t want to leave the mainstream of Hollywood like this, but I’m really lost right now and can’t get out of it. Most importantly, many people don’t believe in me anymore, and I can’t get any good scripts!” Francis Ford Coppola sighed as he said this.

The reason Francis Ford Coppola was able to persevere was because he had one trump card: the 'Godfather' series. As long as the series existed, he still had a chance to make a comeback. However, he didn't realize that if he remained lost for too long, he would ultimately be abandoned by the mainstream Hollywood industry.

“Director Coppola, Legendary Entertainment has no shortage of scripts, no shortage of funds, and no shortage of trust. You’ve met Cameron before; he’s repeatedly overspent, but we’re still willing to believe in him. You may be feeling lost, but we’re also willing to believe in you. As long as you’re willing to join Legendary Entertainment, both Universal Pictures and Legendary Pictures can provide sufficient support. Funding and scripts are not a problem.”

As the leading force in Hollywood, Legendary Entertainment certainly has a strong foundation. Despite the current rejection of Legendary Entertainment by many directors and actors, it's nothing to them. The first to give up won't be Legendary Entertainment, but rather other Hollywood giants. Francis Ford Coppola, an insider, knows all too well what Warner Bros. and Disney are like. He understands that with Legendary Entertainment's strong support, he might be able to overcome his current predicament and escape all his pressures!
Seeing Francis Ford Coppola deep in thought, John smiled calmly and said, "Director Coppola, there's no need to rush to give us an answer. You can think about it for a while. We have plenty of time to wait and enough patience!"

At this point, John and Robert Iger exchanged a smile. If they could win over this great director, it would be a huge benefit to Legendary Entertainment. As for the script, that was not a problem at all. John had plenty of good scripts. The problem was that they didn't have enough manpower. What Legendary Entertainment lacked right now was capable directors and producers, not funds and scripts!

"Thank you both for your kind offer, I will consider it carefully!" Although Francis Ford Coppola was very tempted, he was not in a hurry to accept the offer, after all, he had not yet reached the worst situation!

“If Director Coppola has any good directors, he can recommend them to us. The addition of legendary entertainment talent!” Robert Iger responded calmly. For a big director like Francis Ford Coppola, his connections are powerful. It would be a good thing to get some talent from him.

When Francis Ford Coppola heard these words, he was taken aback. He did indeed have a good candidate, and this guy was right there at the party. He was Sergio Leon, who was working on the post-production and distribution of 'Once Upon a Time in America'.

"Speaking of casting, I have to say I actually have a good one, Sergio Leon. You should know him, right? This guy paid a lot of price for filming 'Once Upon a Time in America,' and he's currently working on post-production and distribution. If you're interested, you can talk to him!"

John was naturally familiar with Sergio Leon's name; his Once Upon a Time trilogy was a classic in later generations. However, the last film, 'Once Upon a Time in America,' was not so ideal and suffered a crushing defeat after its release. Although this was not his fault, as the director, Sergio Leon also had to take responsibility for the failure.

John hadn't thought much about it before, but when he heard Francis Ford Coppola mention Sergio Leon's name, a thought struck him. The disastrous failure of 'Once Upon a Time in America' was imminent, and he might be able to deliver a heavy blow to Warner Bros., the film's distributor. After 'Once Upon a Time in America' failed, he could have Phoenix Media contact them to buy out all the rights, including the Sergio Leon cut.

"Then I'll trouble Director Coppola to introduce us!" Robert Iger nodded and decided to meet with the director. As for whether he could bring him into Legendary Entertainment, that would depend on the director's decision.
To everyone's surprise, when the director was seen, he was promoting his film with a group of actors. Promoting his film at such a party, you have to say, this guy really has ideas and is really persistent.

Among the group, the one who truly caught John's eye wasn't Elizabeth McGovern, but the young Jennifer Connelly. However, John didn't pay much attention to her, instead focusing his attention on Sergio Leon. With Francis Ford Coppola's introduction, they quickly got to the point. The director hadn't accepted Legendary Entertainment's offer, focusing entirely on his own 'Once Upon a Time in America' project. John and Robert Iger both sighed at his actions and simply gave up.

Perhaps this director is quite capable, but Hollywood is not lacking in such talent. Legendary Entertainment has no need to relentlessly pursue a director who is not interested at all. Perhaps this guy is still indulging in his own fantasies, believing that his "Once Upon a Time in America" ​​will be a huge hit, so he doesn't care about Legendary Entertainment's invitation. After all, Warner Bros. is handling the distribution of "Once Upon a Time in America," and everyone in the industry knows how fierce the competition between Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment is right now.

John and Robert Iger smiled calmly, exchanged a few more words with Francis Ford Coppola, and then left. Robert Iger had his own matters to attend to; as CEO of Legendary Entertainment, he was very busy in such situations. In contrast, John, the big boss, was much more relaxed. He was only there to express his opinion and tell those guys his thoughts, and with Robert Iger at Legendary Entertainment, he didn't need to interfere too much.

John found a corner, sat down with Naoko and Ye Qianwen, and looked at the two beautiful women with surprised expressions. He smiled calmly and said, "Aren't you surprised that someone could refuse an invitation from Legendary Entertainment?"

Naoko and Ye Qianwen both nodded. They were well aware of Legendary Entertainment's power and knew that Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Group were in cahoots. It was unbelievable that someone would refuse Legendary Entertainment's invitation! In a world of fame and fortune like Hollywood, refusing Legendary Entertainment was no small matter.

"Actually, it's not as terrible as you think. 'Once Upon a Time in America' is distributed by Warner Bros., and the battle between Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros. is far from over. Even if tonight's party is a reconciliation effort, the conflict won't be resolved so easily. It's understandable and expected that he has some reservations. As for director Coppola, he also has his own strengths. He still has the 'Godfather' series as a trump card for a comeback. Furthermore, Hollywood is about personal relationships, and this big director has quite a few connections, which is why he's not in such a hurry."

John had a fairly clear understanding of Francis Ford Coppola's situation and wasn't too concerned. He didn't expect to gain anything from tonight's party; at most, he just wanted to settle things with those guys. Although John deeply hated them, he had no intention of continuing the fight. He couldn't waste his precious time on them; he had more important things to deal with.

Most importantly, if I were to start another fight with those guys at this time, I'm afraid even old guys like Morgan and Rockefeller would have something to say, which would be very detrimental to my future development. I need to continue to be patient now!
He didn't have the absolute strength to fight those old guys, after all, their connections in the United States were far beyond his own. He needed time to develop himself step by step.

Because he lacks connections, his foundation is not strong enough, and his strength is not great enough, he needs to be patient and not completely fall out with those guys. These guys have considerable influence in the United States, especially in Hollywood, where their influence is even greater. John needs to be cautious now.

Seeing John seated in a corner, seemingly oblivious to the celebrities at the party, left some feeling quite disappointed. As the boss of Hollywood's top tycoon, countless actresses dreamed of currying favor with him, but their hopes were dashed. These stars couldn't understand why John, this bigwig, seemed oblivious to their presence, and why he was so focused on the two Asian actresses beside him. Could it be, as the tabloids were saying, that this guy had something going on?

John had absolutely no interest in these Hollywood actresses, because the event itself was questionable. He had no idea who was behind these people, what their schemes were, or whether these actresses were pawns of his enemies. He feared he might be tricked by them if he wasn't careful.

John could accept the schemes of those Japanese guys, and their honey traps, because they were all out in the open and posed no threat. But the female celebrities here were different. John dared not be careless in the slightest. Even though there were many beautiful women here, he wouldn't have any designs on them. These guys were more dangerous than the Wall Street party!
Every female celebrity standing here has excellent acting skills. If he's not careful, he could easily be deceived by them. Even though he's lived two lives, John doesn't dare to be careless in the slightest, not wanting to bring trouble and danger upon himself!

(End of this chapter)