American Entertainment: Starting with playing the role of Little Beaver

Chapter 118 Going with the Flow: The First Move

Since Iron Man and the Fantastic Four are from the same source and are both Marvel IPs, Isabella wanted to know how Chris Columbus's four-man team was doing after acquiring Iron Man.

As for why I mentioned Transformers in passing?
It's very simple. In Miss Beaver's world, these two projects appear at the same time.

and……

What she wanted most was Transformers.

Hehe ~
Columbus understood what Isabella meant.

So, after catching the grin on the little beaver's face, he didn't keep him in suspense and shook his head as he got to the point.

The first thing they talked about was even Transformers, which is what Ms. Beaver cares about the most.

"In January of this year, Steven officially signed a contract with Hasbro and obtained the development rights for Transformers."

"But he doesn't intend to develop it immediately because he doesn't have the time."

"He has two major tasks at hand that must be dealt with immediately."

"The first thing is distribution. DreamWorks' ten-year contract with Universal expires this year, as you know, so he has to find a distribution channel for the company before the contract expires."

"Then, General Electric, which acquired Universal Pictures, wanted to keep him."

"General Electric even went to Steven's father about this."

"This really annoyed Steven because he didn't want his father involved in this kind of thing."

"The second thing is the division of the family. Steven and the other two couldn't make it work anymore, so... umm?"

Columbus spoke through his nose and raised his eyebrows at the little girl.

Knowing what he was talking about, the little girl didn't hesitate and smiled, giving an "OK" sign.

The young lady knows about DreamWorks' distribution issues.

Warner and Disney had both told her about it before.

Is DreamWorks currently facing a split?
She had actually heard about this in her previous life.

Although DreamWorks looks incredibly luxurious, and its three founders are all giants in their respective fields, when one of them works on film, one on animation, and one on music, becoming one of the Big Seven is something many people believe is just around the corner.

But how could someone who can build a large business not have some ulterior motives?
When it comes to founding DreamWorks, whether it's Spielberg, David Geffen, or Jeffrey Katzenberg, they all truly started from scratch; none of them invested years of prior experience into it.

On the surface, this operation seems quite fair.

Neither of us brings any resources, which means neither of us will take advantage of the other.

But in reality...

Profits in the live-action film industry can be forcibly extracted through directors, producers, and other means.

Profits in the pop music industry can be circumvented by using methods such as label stacking and agency distribution.

And animation?
If you're making hand-drawn animation, okay, the bulk of the production cost is the artist's salary.

If you're doing computer animation, okay, the vast majority of the expenses are either hardware or modeling.

When most of the profits in the animation industry have to be obtained through the development of derivative products, even if Jeffrey Katzenberg wants to follow the example of Spielberg and David Geffen, he can't just put the development rights of derivative products under his own name when he does a project, right?

No matter how greedy Michael Eisner was, he wouldn't dare to do this!

So, that's how the bug appeared.

At the time, Jeffrey Katzenberg was the only person in the entire DreamWorks organization who was "seriously" generating profits for the group. However, the profits he generated were then divided among two other people, which made him feel that he couldn't continue working, so he said goodbye.

Since these three guys were all cunning old foxes, Katzenberg's loss was merely a miscalculation, so Isabella couldn't judge the situation. Therefore, she nodded while acting cute, saying, "I know Steven is busy, so..."

“Okay, okay, I had dinner with Steven last Chinese New Year.”

Columbus revealed the answer the little girl most wanted to hear—

“I’ve already told him that someone wants Transformers but isn’t planning to star in it themselves.”

“Then he said he had watched The Voice and The Contest, and he also knew about The Queen Bee. He said if The Queen Bee’s final box office was okay, then it would prove that Margot could indeed become a superstar.”

"At that time, he will have the screenwriter write a story about a girl and her car."

"Don't worry, he already knows that you're willing to take a gamble with me, and he finds it quite interesting."

"Furthermore, he told me that if there's a chance, I can tell you that he really loves Harry Potter, and that this love is pure and won't change because of his stance."

"Oh~~ Okay~ I understand~" Miss Beaver beamed. "What about Fantastic Four?"

“Fantastic Four…” Columbus paused for a moment when talking about this project.

It seems to be recalling specifics, but it's more like capturing Isabella's reactions.

Seeing the little girl blinking her eyes with concern as he paused, he smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern."

"Its development is going very smoothly..."

Compared to the bumpy road of Transformers, the development of Fantastic Four was quite smooth.

Last November, after finishing filming "Azkaban" and returning to North America, Columbus arranged to meet Constantine.

After a brief discussion, both sides reached a consensus on cooperation, because Constantine said that Columbus's script was excellent and only needed minor modifications before the project could officially start.

The specific modifications were made in early December of last year.

In mid-December, the two parties officially signed a development agreement.

The project was officially launched in early January this year.

And it was done very quickly.

While Columbus and his team were creating the script for "The Goblet of Fire," the search for the director of "Fantastic Four" had already begun.

Columbus originally wanted Sean Astin to direct, but Constantine felt that he was not up to the task. So after two months of preparation, in March of this year, Tim Story was officially confirmed as the director of Fantastic Four.

"If nothing unexpected happens, casting can begin this month."

"I don't know the latest situation because I'm here, but in our plan, this should be a very quick process because I have already thought of who would play many of the roles. For example, for Doctor Doom, I want to invite Robert Downey Jr."

"You know Downey, right? Charlie Chaplin."

Of course Isabella knows Downey, right? It's Iron Man, Tony Stark!
Furthermore, in her previous life, after playing Tony Stark, Downey returned to the Avengers as Doctor Doom.

However, before he played Iron Man, Columbus wanted to invite him to play Doctor Doom.
She had never heard of this before!

and so……

"Have you already extended an invitation to Downey?"

“I don’t know. I delegated this to Bernard, Bernard Eisinger, Constantine’s boss.”

"Then give him a call and tell him not to invite Donnie."

"Why?"

"Because I have a project that I might use him for."

"..." Columbus frowned at the little beaver's words and didn't react for a moment.

He was waiting for the moment when he remembered that Little Beaver had just received the Iron Man...

"Isa, you don't really want to be Iron Man, do you?" Columbus looked tense. "Making movies isn't that easy."

"I know filmmaking is difficult, but I don't need to spend money to make movies."

Miss Beaver smiled and shrugged, "Warner will cover the cost."

Her mischievous look made Columbus want to raise his hand and give her a good whack on the head. "Isn't the money Warner paid yours too?"

"You took less HP than you deserved!"

"Oh~ that makes sense~" Miss Beaver suddenly realized.

Columbus was exasperated by the act of feigning ignorance. "Speak properly," he said.

“Okay, okay.” Isabella said with a smile, “Chris, I understand your good intentions, but I can’t be an actress forever, can I? After I finish playing Hermione, there probably won’t be many roles left to play.”

"If that's the case, then as long as I want to stay in this industry, I have to make a change."

"So, why not switch sooner rather than later? While I'm still invincible, let's make some movies for fun first?"

Because of her memories of her past life, Isabella knew that if she followed the same example and invited Robert Downey Jr. to star in "Iron Man," she might be able to directly achieve her goal. However, she couldn't tell Columbus about this.

Therefore, finding a pretext to get Columbus to abandon Downey became the only thing she could do.

And the reason she made up...

Columbus stared at Isabella for a long time, then finally shook his head and said with a smile, "Isabella, that's a really annoying thing to say. What do you mean by 'making a few movies for fun while I'm invincible'? Oh—if anyone else heard you say that—"

"Those actors would grind their teeth to pieces."

"Hahahahaha~" Isabella spread her hands and turned her head cutely.

She knew her words were really offensive, but what could she do? She was just too strong.
Hehe ~
Let's continue chatting.

While Isabella was waiting to learn that Columbus had originally wanted to choose Sean Astin as the director of "The Lord of the Rings," and that the reason for choosing him was because he had previously starred in "The Goonies"...

Isabella laughed again.

"The Goonies" is a Columbus film, right?

After Columbus revealed that Constantine killed Sean Austin because he was one of his men…

Isabella laughed even louder.

Nepotism exists all over the world!

I started a project and I'm using outsiders instead of my own people?
Then wouldn't I be out of my mind?!

Similarly, when investors find that there is only one group of people in the project they are investing in, they will also worry about being sidelined.

and so……

As the saying goes, wherever there are people, there is a world of its own.

Because Columbus and Miss Beaver had a special relationship.

So, Ms. Beaver said she doesn't want Downey to play Doctor Doom?
Columbus then granted the little girl's wish.

That evening, he summoned his go-to producer, Michael Barnason.

Have them call Constantine and tell them that Doctor Destruction needs to be replaced.

After receiving a call from Bernard Eisinger, who learned that filming for "The Goblet of Fire" had already begun, the busy tone on the receiver made him sigh. With a complicated expression, he dialed the number of Gail Berman, president of Fox Broadcasting Group.

Having no other choice, he clearly reported what he knew.

then……

Gail Berman glanced at the calendar on the table.

April 28th made him feel that the plan could begin.

"Okay, I understand."

"Now that 'The Goblet of Fire' has started filming, we can get started too."

"Then you're saying that Chris arranged everything before he left but now wants to change it?"

"Very good. Since he has taken the initiative to show interest in Fantastic Four, let's follow his lead and make our move."

"As for the first step..."

“Tell Tim Story that Chris wants to make a change and ask him what he thinks.”

"Don't talk too much, because he can perform on his own."

The commands of capital brought a wry smile to Isengard's face.

At that moment, Isengard felt like a puppet on a string.

But if he hadn't been pulled by the string, he would have been gone long ago.

So, after a brief moment of melancholy, Isengard began to carry out Gale Berman's instructions.

Then, Tim Story, the director of Fantastic Four, frowned when he learned that Columbus wanted to replace him.

After confirming with Eisinger several times that Columbus's decision seemed to be 'on a whim', he immediately took out his phone and called Thomas Rothman, Chairman and CEO of Fox Studios. He carefully reported the situation he had encountered.

Then, after listening to what the other person said, he looked at Isengard with a regretful expression.

“I’m sorry, Bernard, my boss said that the reason they were willing to work with you, Constantine, is because they really liked the proposal you submitted, so they can’t accept the idea of ​​replacing you at the last minute.”

"..." Isengard was a little constipated, but he still smiled and said, "Is that so? But Doctor Doom isn't a very important character, so I personally think that replacing him wouldn't be a problem?"

"Doctor Doom is the main villain in Fantastic Four! How could he not be important?"

"Then why don't you call Chris and relay your thoughts? Because you know, he's the primary producer for Fantastic Four, it's written in the contract, and I'm ranked after him in the project."

“Okay, then I’ll contact him.”

After exchanging only a few words, Story, holding his phone, dialed Michael Barnason's number.

The figure waiting to be connected looked very serious, but in Isengard's eyes, it was nothing but pitiful.

Yes.

Tim Story, the director of Fantastic Four, was actually recommended by Fox.

Or perhaps, he is one of Fox's men.

Before coming here, he had made four films.

The first two were practice pieces, shot with a DV camera, and the total budget did not exceed 200,000.

But starting with the third film, all his movies were produced by Fox.

His third film is called "Hara Big Master," the one starring Ice Cube.

The $1200 million investment yielded a box office of $7700 million.

The results were very good.

This made him a key figure for Fox to cultivate, and his fourth film was a remake of Luc Besson's Taxi. Fox helped him acquire the remake rights and invested $2500 million.

In Fox's words, it's about continuing to test his talent.

Of course, Fox hasn't made a big announcement about this yet.

Firstly, the remake of "Taxi" hadn't been released yet, and nobody knew how it would turn out. If they publicized it extensively beforehand, and the movie flopped, it would be a disgrace for Fox.

Secondly, all geniuses will be poached. Before a genius becomes famous, no film company will show their own treasure to others. For example, before Christopher Nolan became a big hit, Warner Bros. did not invest media resources in him. They were afraid that their own talent would be poached.

Then, the favor of capital is a great thing for anyone.

And in Tim Story's world...

He is now extremely grateful to Fox.

As for the reason?

Because he is a Black man.

Yeah~
Tim Storey is an African American.

Even on a global scale, Black directors are few and far between, so why would Fox be willing to nurture him?
Upon receiving Fox's offer, Tim Storey immediately performed a knee slide—

And in the Fantastic Four project, his task was—

"Just finish the project well. If the first one is profitable, then you will be the director of the second one."

That's right.

Tim Story was unaware of Rupert Murdoch's scheme.

But that doesn't matter, right?

Not to mention that even the best plan is useless if it fails to be executed, the more people who know about any scheme, the higher the chance of failure.

Let's take the role of a chess piece as an example.

Whether a piece enters the game depends on whether the player takes it out of the box and places it on the board.

Chess players don't care about the feelings of the pieces.

And the chess pieces...

Only when the pieces actually start to climb upwards can he slowly realize just how many traps he has fallen into.

Under Eisinger's watchful eye, Story dialed Barnason's number.

When Barnason learned that Story was unwilling to make a substitution, his brow furrowed immediately.

Due to the time difference, it was already late at night in London.

Barnason looked tired as he leaned against the headboard, but his thoughts were racing.

"Tim, can you tell me why you don't want to make a change?"

"Because I think your original plan was perfect."

"But plans can be changed."

"But I also came because the plan was perfect."

"..."

Barnason fell silent.

Because Story's words are correct.

Any director who has worked with the camera can actually tell whether a film is good or bad before it's even made.

Often, people grit their teeth and slap on the poop because they have no other choice but to do so.

For example——

When a producer says, 'I don't care what you think, I care what I think,' most directors feel powerless.

Only a few big names can bang on the table.

For example—

The investors say, 'I'm only giving you this much money. You must make the movie within the limited budget. I will absolutely not increase the budget.' So, most directors can only do as they are told.

Only directors who have consistently proven themselves can simply quit and force investors to increase the budget.

For example, Cameron.

what?
Some people ask, "Don't ordinary people have any chance to resist?"

How is this possible!
Isn't what Story is doing right now a form of rebellion?

In Hollywood, which is 'producer-centric,' the collaboration between projects and directors is actually a two-way process. Producers can choose directors, and directors can choose projects, unless a director has no films to make.

Since everything can be negotiated, then everything can be negotiated.

For example--

Let's present the facts and reason things out.

When you invited me, you told me we were filming script A with Tom Cruise, and then during filming you told me we were filming script B with Tom Hardy as the actor? I would have stabbed you in the back then!

Yes, the AB scripts that can be produced in mainland China won't work in Hollywood.

If a producer dares to take script A and trick people into signing contracts, and then have the production team work on script B, he will be expelled from the Producers Guild, blacklisted by the Directors Guild, and sued by investors, because this behavior is called fraud.

and so……

After only a few seconds of thought, Barnason said with a glint in his eyes, "Okay, I understand."

Without saying much, he hung up the phone.

After a pause, he dialed Isengard's number.

After confirming that no one was around, he asked, "What did you tell Tim?"

"I relayed Chris's thoughts to Tim truthfully."

"And then he disagreed?"

"He said he had to think about his career. He's a Black man, and there are very few opportunities for Black people in the directing industry, so he didn't want to gamble with his career."

Lying was something Isengard did effortlessly.

His words made Barnason's eyes narrow slightly.

Because Isengard's words also make a lot of sense.

Currently, there are only a few well-known Black directors in Hollywood, such as Spike Lee who made "Jungle Fever" and Antoine Fuqua who made "Training Day." Therefore, Story does not want his hard-won opportunity to be ruined.

this……

Human nature.

Since all the demands from all parties are reasonable, Barnason will not act arbitrarily.

After exchanging a few words with Eisinger, he hung up the phone and went to sleep.

It wasn't until the following morning, during a meal, that he began to discuss the situation on the West Coast with Columbus...

"Are you sure Tim won't accept our proposal?" Columbus looked at Barnason seriously.

"Yes."

"Ha—I didn't want to choose him in the first place—and sure enough, he's a nuisance—"

Columbus muttered to himself, "If it's Sean, then the matter is already settled."

Barnason nodded.

This is actually why people in different circles prefer to use their own people.

You're talented?
But what's the point of disobeying?
However, since the problem has already arisen, there's no point in dwelling on the past.

And right now...

"Then let Tim continue to invite Robert Downey Jr."

Columbus thought for a moment and said, "Then, call Robert Downey Jr."

"Have him decline the invitation."

"Okay?"

“No problem.” Barnason gave an OK sign.

He understood what Columbus meant.

Is Story disobedient?

Let him be willful then.

You can invite Robert Downey Jr., and I can also make him decline the invitation.

This doesn't mean that Columbus could control everything in Hollywood.

But Robert Downey Jr. was originally one of their people.

Robert Downey Jr. has a very good relationship with the famous director Richard Attenborough.

And Richard Attenborough...

To put it simply, when Spielberg invited Richard Attenborough to play the role of the park's founder in "Jurassic Park," the white-bearded old man, Richard Attenborough came without hesitation.

and so……

Go ahead and invite me, but if you can actually get me to agree, then I'll admit defeat.

As for why Columbus didn't fire Story?
It's very simple.

Replacing someone is a minor issue.

Why make such a big fuss over such a small matter?
Not worth it.

(End of this chapter)