American Entertainment: Starting with playing the role of Little Beaver

Chapter 102 Umbrella in Action

Bernard Eisinger is a famous German filmmaker and the boss of Constantin.

Under his management, Constantine became a globally renowned film company, because they were the ones who made "Resident Evil," and the "Resident Evil" IP made Constantine famous worldwide.

To the world, Constantine may seem like a very inspiring company, as they have carved out a niche for themselves in the capital-driven entertainment industry. But in reality, Constantine also has capital behind it.

As early as 1986, Constantine accepted investment from the local company Kirch.

This is a well-known media giant in Europe.

When Kirch invested in Constantine, he was already the largest film and television rights dealer in Europe.

Moreover, they also control a large number of European television networks, covering areas including but not limited to Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Holzbrink, one of the world's top five English-language publishers, is also their subsidiary. In the 1990s, the Kirch Group even spent a whopping 19 billion euros to secure the European broadcasting rights for the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. In 2001, they also acquired the Formula One Group. Yes, the entire F1 racing series is their plaything.

It was precisely because Constantine had Kirch's support that they were able to break out of Europe and go international.

Kirch's reason for investing in Constantine was simple: by the 1980s, they had already reached the limit of the European market, and if they continued, they would be subject to antitrust investigations by European governments. So they had no choice but to extend their reach outwards.

Then, they felt that the United States might be a market worth exploring.

Then, Rupert Murdoch's operations in North America became their model to emulate.

Initially, they wanted to do what Murdoch did: first acquire a Hollywood company, then use that acquisition as a shell to acquire a television network. But everyone knows the global environment of the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was better to sell Tokyo and buy America.

When Sony and Panasonic inflated the valuation of Hollywood companies to astronomical levels, Kirch immediately withdrew from the bidding.

They are rich, but not sick.

Even if they gave up bidding, they still wanted to get into Hollywood.

After some thought, they came up with a roundabout way to achieve their goal:

1. Invest in someone who knows Hollywood best.

This brought Constantin into their view; Kirch and Constantin were both German companies.

2. Send this agent to the United States to help him build an entertainment company and try to replicate Fox's miracle.

Constantine's owner, Bernard Eisinger, founded Summit Entertainment in the United States in 1991.

That's right!

Summit Entertainment, the independent film company that people love to hype up in the internet age, is also a toy of capital!
What makes Summit Entertainment the most promising new giant in Hollywood? Is it because they have a limited North American distribution network?

What makes Summit Entertainment the most awesome independent company in Hollywood? Because they can handle global distribution themselves?

It's all bullshit!
Peak Entertainment's North American distribution network was bought out by Kirch with a $200 million loan from Merrill Lynch through a left-hand-right-hand transaction!
Summit Entertainment's global distribution network was created by Kirch, who monopolized the European film and television copyright transactions!

To put it bluntly, Leo Kirch is even more powerful than Ted Turner, because Summit Entertainment's assets represent Ted Turner's ambition for New Line. Compared to Ted Turner, Leo Kirch's biggest disadvantage is his European identity, because whether it's Britain or the US, they all want to dismantle Europe, so...

After discovering Kirch's immense ambitions, the Americans took action against them.

Since large corporations cannot do without leverage during their development, and since Kirch had to deal with American banks when entering the United States, the United States took action in 2001 after discovering that Kirch's development needed to be controlled. First, they froze their accounts, then the banks directly withdrew loans, and then the media released investigative information to suppress their stock price through public opinion.

Then the time came to April 8th, 2002...

The empire collapsed.

Since this is how Americans have always done things—"I want to kill you, so you have a reason to die"—and even ten years later they were still using this crude method to kill Alstom, Kirch's death was not surprising to anyone. Or rather, in the eyes of capital, this was even a good opportunity to strengthen itself.

Less than six months after Kirch went bankrupt, his businesses were devoured by various capital groups. In this feast, Constantine also found a new master, a Swiss company called Highlight.

The new owners acquired Constantin because the company had a sound distribution system and the potential to become a new Hollywood giant. Therefore, after taking control of Constantin, they put forward three prospects for its future development:

1. Strengthen film content production – ideally, produce films that gross over 800 million at the box office, like Sony does.

2. Strengthen development in home entertainment – ​​ideally, sell seven million discs a day like Sony.

3. Make achievements in the field of television entertainment.

When these three requirements were put forward, Bernard Eisinger, the chairman of Constantine, was completely dumbfounded.

Leaving aside the third point, just looking at the first two points is already incredibly difficult!
Because 'Sony' plus 'a movie that grosses over 800 million' equals 'The Failed Man'!

Because 'Sony' plus 'seven million discs a day' equals 'The Failed Man'!

So, the new boss's expectation for them is that they, Constantine, will make a film called "The Failed Man"?
You wouldn't be a fucking chairman either!

However, even while working on the anesthesia, Bernard Eisinger still had a plan.

He owns Marvel's intellectual property.

That's Fantastic Four.

Frankly speaking, right now, anyone with a normal mind would know that Fantastic Four would have a very difficult time replicating the success of Spider-Man, well... actually, it's impossible to replicate it at all...

Spider-Man is far ahead in the popularity rankings of superhero characters, sitting on the same level as Batman and Superman. Therefore, the success of a Spider-Man movie doesn't guarantee the success of Fantastic Four, but...

"What did Chris say?"

California.

Los Angeles.

Constantine North American Headquarters.

Looking at his secretary who had just entered the room, Bernard Eisinger said with a sullen mood, "Is he still filming 'Azkaban'? Does he have to wait until 'Azkaban' is finished before he can talk to us about starting 'Fantastic Four'?"

"Yes."

The secretary nodded. Having just finished a phone call with Chris Columbus's official spokesperson, he said directly, "Chris's stance is very clear: Harry Potter is his most important task right now."

"Oh——My——God——"

This fact gave Eisinger a headache.

That's right. Although Fantastic Four isn't as popular as Spider-Man, you can still ride on someone else's popularity.

This is also why Eisinger is now insisting on bringing Chris Columbus into the picture.

Now, who doesn't know that Harry Potter is a film with a huge gap in popularity?

Even the ancient gods of Star Wars cannot stand up to it head-on!

So, bringing in the director of Harry Potter to develop Fantastic Four was Isengard's idea of ​​"piggybacking," which, if you had to describe it, is like buying credit in the film industry.

When a movie has no famous lead actor, no famous director, no gimmicky story, and no amazing special effects, hiring big names to endorse it is the best way to promote it. If a movie can get James Cameron to be a producer, it can earn an extra hundred million at the box office.

US dollars.

The reason Isengard likened his invitation to Columbus to "buying an attribution" was because he genuinely wanted to seriously develop "Fantastic Four." If he dared to play "cheating" with the public, his boss would dare to fire him.

So, when it was necessary to invite Columbus to develop Fantastic Four, and Fantastic Four couldn't even be started without Columbus's involvement, this guy insisted on finishing Harry Potter before talking about Fantastic Four.
"Ugh--"

Isengard sighed heavily.

He felt powerless at that moment.

"Okay, let's not talk about this for now."

After some thought, and realizing that Columbus's power was greater than his own and that he had no right to change Columbus's decisions, Isengard changed the subject and asked his secretary, "How is the situation with the three major powers?"

Are they interested in our proposed Resident Evil TV series project? Is anyone willing to buy it?

The new boss has three points regarding Constantine's future prospects. Since the first two points cannot be implemented quickly, Isengard wants to accelerate the process of addressing the third point. Only by doing so can he gain the favor of the new boss.

The third point, 'to make achievements in the field of television entertainment,' actually means to produce TV dramas.

So, what scripts do they have now that can be turned into TV series?

Isn't that Resident Evil?

Although the box office performance of "Resident Evil" was indeed not great, the first film had an investment of 3300 million but only grossed 1.03 million worldwide.

But the discs for this thing sell extremely well.

On July 30th last year, the Resident Evil DVD was officially released. By December, they had already recouped $110 million. After deducting costs and sales expenses, the net profit exceeded $30 million.

This prompted them to immediately begin production on a sequel, "Revelation," which is expected to be released next summer.

Since the Resident Evil IP has already been tested by the market, turning it into a TV series is the answer Isengard wanted to give to his new boss. However, just because he thinks it's okay doesn't mean other companies will like it...

"Uh... Boss, ABC, NBC, and CBS aren't interested in our project."

The secretary shook her head slightly and said, "None of them have any intention of buying."

The production of North American TV series is quite different from that in mainland China.

In mainland China, TV dramas are usually filmed first and then the platform is found to broadcast them. If no platform is willing to broadcast them, they just sit there unused.

For example, Zhang Ruoyun's "Huo Qubing" was filmed in 17, but it was not released until 25.

In North America, TV series are produced by first finding a platform and then filming. If a platform is willing to buy the rights, then production can begin, and vice versa.

That's why, after ABC, NBC, and CBS all said no to the TV series adaptation of Resident Evil, it became impossible to produce.

If no one buys it, it means the auctioned item will just sit in your hands and go to waste, which means you'll lose money for nothing.

This……

Why are they unwilling to buy?

Eisinger frowned. "They won't even give a million dollars?"

Because the "buy first, film later" model is highly disadvantageous for television stations, in order to protect their own interests, all American TV series starting from scratch undergo a pilot broadcast process during development.

When a TV station thinks a script is good, they will give the production company a pre-purchase fee;

It usually costs between several hundred thousand and one million US dollars, allowing the production company to shoot one to three episodes first and then put them on hold;
If the ratings are good, the project can proceed to production; otherwise, it will be canceled. From the perspective of the TV station, this kind of deal is a low-cost trial and error. Therefore, dramas that can't even get pre-order money are called "the worst of the worst" in the industry.

If I had to describe it, it's like writing a novel. Someone submits their work to editors in the industry one after another, and all the replies they receive are suggestions to submit it directly or submit it to someone else. After these words appear...

That person should just focus on tightening the screws properly.

Because editors aren't even willing to test your potential with a guaranteed salary of 4,500 for three months.

To be honest, complete rejections are not uncommon in the television industry, but when it happens to a well-known person or a famous intellectual property, it's humiliating. So when he heard the news of the complete rejection, Eisinger was immediately annoyed.

The secretary sighed, "Because the three major TV stations say they are not adult television stations."

"They don't believe we can make a PG-13 rated show."

"They don't believe we can deliver the series on time."

"..." Isengard choked.

The three men were talking about their dark history with Constantine.

When the film version of Resident Evil was first submitted for review, it received a rating of NC-17.

Since NC-17 could not be shown on a large scale, Constantine considered making modifications and cuts.

Ultimately, Resident Evil was rated R.

On the surface, their actions seemed harmless; modifying films for ratings is common in Hollywood. However, their modification period lasted six months, longer than normal filming, causing them to miss two release dates.

To put it bluntly, their modifications were no different from a complete reshoot.

As for why it took so long?
It's very simple: the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has always felt that their movies are too bloody and violent.

Constantine's actions then greatly angered Sony, which had purchased the film's distribution rights.

Because the Resident Evil project is an adaptation of a well-known IP, its promotion and production were carried out simultaneously.

So——

I've already spent a fortune on marketing and you're telling me you made a movie that turned out to be NC-17?
Oh shit!

Are you guys out of your minds?!

Sony was already angry when the release date was first changed. It wasn't until Constantine said they would get everything sorted out within three months that Sony reluctantly agreed to the change. However, Constantine failed to do so, and the timeline was dragged out to more than six months.

This infuriated Sony—

I've already discussed the delayed release date with you, and now that the release date is here, you're telling me you haven't finished editing it yet?
Oh shit!

I really want to dig up your ancestral graves!

Because Constantine's handling of Resident Evil was truly suffocating, ABC, NBC, and CBS all shook their heads when they saw the Resident Evil TV series project.

They don't want to work with guys who have criminal records.

If Constantine makes the Resident Evil TV series too gory again, they'll be reported.

What if Constantine delays the production of the show?

That would be even worse!

The television industry is even more focused on timeliness than the film industry; even a slight delay can result in losses of tens of millions of dollars!
All of the above were based on Isengard's personal experiences.

So when the secretary revealed the truth, he immediately leaned back in his chair.

The fact that he had suffered defeats on two fronts made him feel even more powerless.

It wasn't that he didn't want to try again at the top three universities, but rather that he knew it would be futile.

The time when "Resident Evil" was blocked coincided with the time when its former boss, Kirsch, was attacked by the dark forces of capital. The time when it was approved was exactly the moment after its former boss was powerless to save it. Therefore, "Resident Evil" has been blocked and not allowed to be released.
It's hard not to say that someone else is behind this.

But even if Isengard knew he was being framed, what could he do?

He couldn't get involved in the war of capital.

If one of those guys sneezes, his family could be ruined.

"Ugh--"

Thinking of this, Isengard sighed again.

Just as he was lamenting that his fate seemed excessively bumpy, his secretary said again, "Boss, don't you really want to consider FOX? They're the fourth biggest in the television industry now."

These words made Isengard raise his head and shake it slightly, saying, "Didn't I already tell you about this?"

"We can't embrace FOX, no matter who we embrace."

"Because FOX and Warner have a feud."

As a veteran in the industry, Eisinger certainly understood the implications of The Voice's success. When The Voice's profits directly benefited American Idol, how could Constantine possibly have the upper hand?

The logic is very simple.

If Constantine were to simultaneously partner with both Columbus and Fox, what would the companies behind those two companies think?
Fox was already furious with Warner, and then when he tried to give alms to an ant, he suddenly discovered that this ant was flirting with the guy who beat him up? Anyone with a temper would take it out on an ant, wouldn't they?
Warner Bros. just beat up Fox, and they know that capital won't let it go easily. Then they discovered that their partner was hugging and kissing Fox's partner? Any normal person would think that their background is illegitimate, right?

So——

If Constantine wants to get Columbus involved in developing "Fantastic Four," then he won't be able to reach a cooperation agreement with Fox!

If Constantine wanted to work with Fox, then he wouldn't be able to get Columbus to develop Fantastic Four!
Otherwise, you'll end up with a stubborn problem that's blocked at both ends!

"Ugh……"

The secretary understands this logic too.

So he was somewhat saddened when he discovered that the road ahead was full of twists and turns.

Just as the two were feeling dejected and unsure of what to do, "Ring ring—"

Eisinger’s office landline suddenly rang.

He glanced at the number; it was unfamiliar. His brow furrowed slightly as he picked up the phone to answer.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Mr. Bernard Isinger from Constantin Film?"

"I am, are you?"

“Oh, I’m Gail Berman, president of Fox Broadcasting Group. I’ve heard that your company is currently seeking collaborations within the industry, looking to co-develop Resident Evil with a television network? If so, I think we can have a chat.”

"!"

The sudden invitation caused Eisinger's pupils to shrink.

At that moment, he thought of one person: Michael Arndt.

Just as he pursed his lips, intending to give a vague answer, Gail Berman said again from the other end of the phone: "Mr. Isengard, I've come with good intentions. As far as I know, your new boss has given you a very important task?"

"If that's the case, um... then I think you must be feeling very uncomfortable?"

"After all, Mr. Kirch can't help you like he did in '94."

"..."

Eisinger caught his breath.

He understood what Gail Berman was talking about.

The other party then claimed that he had tricked Marvel in 1994.

Although Marvel is not a large company, it is not one he can afford to mess with.

Logically, he would have been killed off by Marvel back then.

Why didn't Marvel take action against him?

That's because he had someone backing him at the time!

Now, he has no one backing him.

So, if he can't gain the new boss's favor in a short period of time...

Well, I'm sorry, Marvel will definitely get revenge.

Because Marvel's owners are known for their vindictiveness; back then, Isaac Perlmut and Avi Arad even snatched control of the company from Carl Icahn and Ronald Perelman.

When Marvel's current owner dares to challenge the Wolf King of Wall Street, Isengard has no backing?

If these people don't make him jump into the Pacific Ocean and get back at him, how can they survive in this industry?
So?

The overwhelming information made Eisinger take a deep breath.

"Mr. Berman, what exactly are you trying to say?"

“Mr. Isengard, I think I have made myself very clear. I would like to discuss cooperation with you.”

"Okay, okay, how do we talk?"

"Hmm...how about you come to Century City? Let's talk face to face?"

"When?"

"Now."

(End of this chapter)