America: My Time

Chapter 316 Industrial Light & Magic
Chapter 316 Industrial Light & Magic

"Coppola, I think you should accept Legendary Entertainment's invitation. They have a lot of resources. If Legendary Entertainment weren't facing pressure from the entire Hollywood, they probably wouldn't be lacking in talent. I wonder how many people would be willing to join Legendary Entertainment. If you miss this opportunity, once their conflict is over, even if you really want to join, they might not accept you! At that time, you will face even more competition. They have a lot of good resources inside, so you need to make a decision quickly!"

"Steven, you know so much about Legendary Entertainment, why don't you join them? And do you really think they lack talent? I don't think they lack talent, they just need to deal with the pressure from Hollywood!"

"That's true, but they really have a lot of good scripts. It's just that they don't have a suitable director right now. If you put in a little effort, you'll have a chance. Don't miss this opportunity, or you'll regret it later. Your situation is really bad right now, and you can't delay any longer!" Steven Spielberg sighed as he said this.

“I understand, I’ll make a decision soon. But I’m a little surprised that you’re the only one here today. Why didn’t George Lucas show up? Did something happen to him?”

"I already informed him, but perhaps he's been held up by something. However, Hollywood will soon see new changes. Once Warner Bros. and Disney compromise, Legendary Entertainment will truly have absolute power. Moreover, the Phoenix Group is developing remarkably well, controlling many resources related to film and television. In the future, no film company will dare to confront Legendary Entertainment. The lessons learned from Warner Bros. and Disney are the best example."

"Yes, Legendary Entertainment has developed too fast under Robert Iger's leadership. In a short period of time, it has completed its integration and is able to compete with Warner Bros. and Disney, facing pressure from the entire Hollywood!"

"It's not that Robert Iger is so powerful, it's the boss behind him who's powerful. Anyone who underestimates him will pay a heavy price. His personal copyright company has an astonishing income, and he's not just a media tycoon, but also a tech mogul. He's one of the giants in Silicon Valley, and his reputation is even known on Wall Street. Lehman Brothers was forced to compromise by him and had to pay huge sums in compensation. If this guy hadn't focused his energy on real businesses, Wall Street would probably be shaken up, and he might be one of the giants on Wall Street!"

Not everyone in Hollywood understands John's capabilities. Although Francis Ford Coppola has good connections in Hollywood, he is still inferior to Steven Spielberg. The latter has the entire team behind him, and the information he knows is far beyond what Francis Ford Coppola can match.

Only by truly understanding how astonishing John's business empire is can one know how terrifying and dangerous this young man truly is. The battles between Warner Bros. and Disney are child's play; they're not even in the same league as the Lehman Brothers war. If this shrewd John had used financial maneuvering, Warner Bros. and Disney might have been brought down long ago.

Did John not think of using financial means to teach Warner and Disney a lesson? No, it wasn't that John didn't think of it, but that he was unwilling to do so. While financial means could take down Warner and Disney, it wouldn't make Hollywood giants acknowledge Legendary Entertainment's strength. Only by truly battling them in the media and entertainment arena and determining the winner could these Hollywood giants truly accept Legendary Entertainment.

"Speaking of which, George Lucas isn't having an easy time either. He's been suppressed by Legendary Entertainment in special effects. Don't be fooled by the fact that Legendary Entertainment started later in special effects; they're currently the most powerful in Hollywood. Industrial Light & Magic is under a lot of pressure with Lucas. I've lost count of how many times I've heard him complain. Steven, you know a lot about special effects. Is Legendary Entertainment really that strong?"

"They're not just strong, they're incredibly strong, because they're backed by the Silicon Valley giant Dreamworld. They're at the forefront in both software and hardware. Lucas doesn't have the resources of Legendary Entertainment to invest in R&D without regard to cost. Their manpower is far from enough to compete with a Silicon Valley giant like Dreamworld."

"Steven, you're talking bad about me!" Just then, George Lucas appeared, and his voice startled Steven Spielberg!
"Lucas, why are you so late? Did something happen?"

"Nothing unexpected, just that the car broke down. But you're right, Industrial Light & Magic is in a bad situation. Legendary Entertainment is developing too fast, so fast that Industrial Light & Magic can't keep up."

"Is Lucas really in such a dangerous situation?" Steven Spielberg's expression turned serious at this moment. Although he knew that Industrial Light & Magic was in a bad situation, he did not expect it to be this dangerous.

"The gap is widening, and it's quite obvious. You were right before, whether in software or hardware, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) can't compare to Legendary Entertainment. They can receive Dreamworld support immediately, and they can get the latest professional servers and workstations right away. This is something ILM simply can't do. Not to mention the software technology support. To be honest, I'm even considering selling ILM!" "Hiss!" At this moment, Steven Spielberg couldn't help but gasp. He was shocked by George Lucas's words. If ILM couldn't hold on, no one in Hollywood would be able to compete with Legendary Entertainment in special effects. Legendary Entertainment might even control Hollywood's special effects production.

"Has it really come to this?" Steven Spielberg asked with a wry smile, a hint of worry in his eyes.

George Lucas didn't hide anything, nodding and saying, "It's come to this point. Actually, I came to the party today partly to ask if they had any plans to acquire Industrial Light & Magic. Compared to Legendary Entertainment's special effects production, Industrial Light & Magic's capabilities are far too weak. If we don't act now, they'll become worthless once they advance further!"

Unlike Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas was a very pragmatic man. Since he knew he was no match for his opponent, he figured he might as well sell Industrial Light & Magic while it still had value.

“Alright, if we’re talking about the sale, you don’t need to go to Robert Iger. Go directly to his boss. He’s sitting in that corner over there. To be honest, he’s really too young, but he doesn’t act like one at all. He’s not attracted to any of the beautiful women at the party. Let’s go talk to him now. He owns not only Legendary Entertainment, but also Phoenix Media.” Steven Spielberg sighed as he said this. Who would believe that the owner of two major media and entertainment companies was a young man, a young man sitting in a corner?

The three quickly arrived at the corner where John was. A hint of surprise flashed in John's eyes upon seeing them, and he said, "Director Coppola, have you come to your senses and are willing to join Legendary Entertainment?"

“Mr. John, we’re not here for my business. Lucas has something to discuss with you. He wants to sell his Industrial Light & Magic shares. I wonder if you have any thoughts on it!”

John's expression hardened when he heard Coppola's words. This was indeed a big surprise. It seemed that Industrial Light & Magic was being suppressed by Legendary Entertainment to the point of no return!
"Mr. Lucas, are you really interested in selling Industrial Light & Magic?"

"Yes, I intend to sell Industrial Light & Magic. Continuing like this will only increase the costs, and there's no hope in sight. Since that's the case, it's better to sell it directly. I wonder if you'd be interested?"

“I’m interested. If Industrial Light & Magic is willing to sell, I’m willing to acquire it. However, it’s not Legendary Entertainment, but Phoenix Media. You should know that Warner Bros. sold DC Comics to Phoenix Media before. Phoenix Media also needs its own special effects!”

George Lucas was somewhat surprised by John's quick agreement to the acquisition; the other party had agreed without even asking the price, suggesting he also had considerable ambitions for Phoenix Media. Could this young man be planning to use Phoenix Media's name to acquire another Hollywood giant?

In an instant, George Lucas couldn't help but have such a crazy idea. If it were anyone else, George Lucas wouldn't have thought of it, but this young man in front of him might have, because George Lucas was very clear about the young man's power in Silicon Valley and understood how strong the other party was.

“Okay, it’s a deal. We’ll discuss the acquisition in detail at a later time!” George Lucas agreed without hesitation. The sooner Industrial Light & Magic was sold, the better for him. The later the sale, the greater the discount on Industrial Light & Magic’s value. After all, this little guy controlled the Silicon Valley giant Dreamworld, which had an absolute advantage in both software and hardware.

Of course, George Lucas also had his own ideas. Since they were going to sell Industrial Light & Magic, they needed to find them a good buyer. A big boss like John was the perfect fit. Although Phoenix Group was not well-known in the United States, its strength was immense!

(End of this chapter)