America: My Time

Chapter 596 Hollywood's Response
Chapter 586 Hollywood's Response

The Writers Guild dares to go against Hollywood giants and media moguls. You should know that screenwriters have the least influence in Hollywood. Unless they are all like John, with some kind of magic touch, their influence in Hollywood is negligible. Even actors don't take them seriously, let alone Hollywood giants.

Hollywood film companies take on all the risks and pay huge prices to make movies, and they don't even know if they will be released. Unless it is a Hollywood giant with close ties to theaters, many independent films do not have the opportunity to be released, or even in underground theaters. They can only suffer losses in their own hands. Can they ask the screenwriter for compensation for such losses?
While a good script certainly helps a film, such scripts are rare, and many screenwriters are simply immersed in their own fantasies, failing to grasp the market. Hollywood is not a paradise for art, but a paradise for capital; they won't participate in anything without profit.

“Even you, an outsider, know it’s impossible. How could those guys not know? They all know, but they’re all pretending not to. Greed has driven them crazy. If you really have a good script, you can negotiate with the film company and ask for a high price!”

At this point, Linda Evangelista fell silent. While screenwriters at Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media received the highest salaries in the industry, blockbuster movies and hit TV series brought hefty bonuses, often far exceeding their salaries. Conversely, failed projects yielded nothing. Ultimately, this world requires merit; expecting something for nothing is impossible. Hollywood giants aren't fools, nor are media tycoons.

Although John was very dissatisfied with the current situation in Hollywood, it was undeniable that the strike had caused huge losses to Hollywood, and Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media were also affected to some extent. To be honest, the truly experienced and capable people didn't take the lead; it was only the young, newcomers who were really active, and those involved at Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media were exactly that kind of people.

For Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Group, once these guys get involved, they're blacklisted and can forget about working for either of the two groups in the future. These guys will only ruin the company's atmosphere and cause unnecessary losses.

John just wanted these guys to know the trouble their actions would cause and how it would affect their careers. Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media had established their dominance in Hollywood by suppressing actors, so they certainly wouldn't take these guys seriously now.

Hollywood is never short of excellent scripts, but turning an excellent script into a blockbuster film is no easy feat. It requires the full cooperation of actors, directors, and production companies. Every blockbuster film is inseparable from these elements—at least for Hollywood giants. For independent films and small film companies, it depends on your connections and the resources you're willing to invest; otherwise, you're likely to flop.

The reason John acquired Universal Pictures and NBC under such immense pressure was because he knew the madness of Hollywood and the immense influence of those giants. Without controlling a Hollywood giant, if you wanted to make money in the market, you had to hand over most of your profits, otherwise you would only flop. Theater companies don't care how good your film is because they can't offend Hollywood giants, and they simply won't give independent films a chance.

Many art films are flops. If you say art is priceless and you pursue art, then don't talk about salary. If you talk about salary, you should follow Hollywood's rules. Since the day it started, Hollywood has been a film factory, not an art creation. Hollywood has its own set of rules.

Hollywood doesn't have art. If you really want to pursue art, Europe is more suitable. Hollywood is better at marketing. Whether a movie has art or not, or whether it helps society, they don't care at all and have no interest in it. Movies that don't have a market will be abandoned by them. Profit is the mainstream in Hollywood.

Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media were able to hold on, unafraid of the Writers Guild. If there wasn't enough screenwriters in the US, they could temporarily transfer some from Hong Kong and Japan, at least managing to stay afloat. But other Hollywood giants weren't so lucky. From the very beginning of the strike, they suffered huge losses.

At the same time, these guys also need to discuss the Oscars. You see, during the writers' strike, some old guys stood up and expressed their opinions, which made the Hollywood giants very unhappy. In their view, this was a provocation against them.

Warner Bros. was soon forced to step in, hosting a reception to gather industry professionals and discuss countermeasures. Legendary Entertainment, Phoenix Media, and John, the powerful figure behind the company, were all invited. John couldn't refuse the invitation, as he was also part of the industry, and it was essential for him to make a statement—a necessary step for any industry leader. Refusal would only lead to misunderstandings and the perception of cowardice. Originally, the reception should have been hosted by Legendary Entertainment, given its status as the largest media conglomerate in the US and a major player in Hollywood. However, John had a long-standing feud with Disney, and a Legendary Entertainment-hosted event might not have garnered Disney's approval. Therefore, Warner Bros. had to step in.

When John arrived at the party with Sophie Marceau, all eyes were on this Hollywood mogul. Although he was young, no one dared ignore his presence, and many knew how formidable he was. Even after all these years, Disney was still being strangled by Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media, suffering devastating losses. They were also well aware of the suppression of actors by the two legendary entertainment groups back then. Tyrant—that was the name his Hollywood colleagues had given John!
Hollywood bigwigs turned their attention to John, and many actresses also set their sights on Sophie Marceau, envious of her good fortune. Countless actresses in Hollywood wanted to curry favor but never had the chance, yet this French woman had succeeded. How could this not attract the attention of Hollywood beauties?

Although many people know about Sophie Marceau's relationship with John, this is the first time she has appeared beside John on such an important occasion. Many people know that the woman from Japan is more often seen with John, and all the big shots know that this woman is now living in John's house. Some even suspect that this woman has gained the approval of John's family. So, they were all a little surprised to see Sophie Marceau appear beside John!
The writers' strike has brought Hollywood to a standstill, impacting many people, especially those at the bottom of the social ladder who are facing immense pressure. If NBC and Paramount hadn't remained unaffected and continued filming, even more people at the bottom would likely have been affected.

"John, right now, Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media are the least affected in Hollywood, and there hasn't been a full-blown strike. It seems we should all learn from you!"

Faced with George Lucas's teasing, John smiled calmly and said, "I remember you all opposed the unfair terms between Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media back then, but it's too late to regret it now."

"Yes, if we had known this would happen, we should have sided with Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media from the beginning, and we wouldn't be in this predicament now. But why are Universal Impact and Paramount also halting the project? Aren't they being a bit too cautious!"

"We should at least give the Writers Guild some face to avoid escalating the conflict and putting our colleagues in a difficult position. We can't be too unconventional in Hollywood; we also need to consider the feelings of our peers. It's not fair to say that everyone else is shutting down while we are. As beneficiaries of the industry rules, we hope to continue, rather than have others challenge the rules. We are the rule-makers."

John's words did not surprise George Lucas. As a bigwig and beneficiary of the industry, he naturally disapproved of the Writers Guild's challenge to the established order. In fact, George Lucas was also quite annoyed, because he had also been affected, forced to postpone some Lucasfilm projects, and suffered losses in his own interests, so he was naturally unwilling to accept it.

"Yes, we can only make money quietly. Now that these guys are causing trouble, we're not only losing money, but we're also losing money. To be honest, these guys are going too far. They don't care about the rules at all. They're happy, but the people at the bottom of the industry are going to suffer. I don't know how many people will be hurt because of them!"

"Hahaha, Lucas, do you consider this a carp's tears?" John looked at Lucas mockingly, not believing that Lucas would have such good intentions. He was also a boss and one of the big shots in Hollywood. How could he care about the lives of those at the bottom of the industry? Saying this was just to find an excuse for himself.

George Lucas shook his head and said, "You really have a twisted sense of humor. As the boss, I naturally don't want to see the interests of my employees affected by the greed of some people, and I certainly don't want to see my own interests damaged. I don't have your methods, nor do I have the powerful and domineering force of Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Group!"

(End of this chapter)