America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 591 The New Era of Fairy Tale Movies

To dig a hole, you need the right tools.

Daniel called suddenly, and Martin, on a whim with little time to spare, could only come up with a plausible solution.

Just like Bruce said, it doesn't matter if the other party doesn't step on it.

Martin tried to recall carefully, but the only thing that came to mind in the short term was movies.

Daniel took advantage of the old film library's so-called remake last time.

Of course, Martin wasn't exactly a saint either, casually handing Daniel three projects that could potentially yield exceptionally high returns.

Daniel came again this time, and he even brought the new president of Warner Bros. with him, which shows that they are destined to meet.

Martin asked, "Old Brooks, which Hollywood movies do you think have production costs that are so exorbitant they make your skin crawl?"

"Soft science fiction that needs visual effects, superhero movies, and blockbuster action films," Bruce said, thinking of the new trilogy Warner Bros. was planning recently. "And epic films, especially fantasy epics."

The last sentence reminded Martin that one of the three old films he gave to Daniel was a fantasy epic, and Warner Bros. had already greenlit it.

With a production budget of $1.5 million, the film stars Christian Bale and is directed by Ridley Scott.

The other two are also adaptations of fairy tales that can be linked to fantasy.

Unfortunately, the latter two have not yet received the green light from Warner's review committee.

Martin searched his memory and recalled seeing news articles on UC Shocking News about Hollywood blockbuster movies while browsing his phone in his previous life.

For example, Green Lantern and Ridley Scott's epic films left a deep impression on him.

There's also Disney's "The Princess of Mars," which is already in production.

Martin remembered a classic fairy tale and decided to continue adding fuel to the fire of fairy tales.

"Old Brooks, hurry up and find a bookstore." Martin searched on Google and found the relevant book titles, then said, "Go buy two children's books, 'Jack and the Beanstalk' and 'Jack the Giant Slayer'."

Bruce said, "I'll go right now."

Martin added, "The book shouldn't be too new or too worn; it's best if it shows signs of having been read."

Bruce understood: "Leave it to me."

He left his studio, deliberately away from the neighborhood, and went to five bookstores, where he bought two suitable books.

Back in Martin's office, Bruce placed two books on the table.

Martin took them over; the two books were new, but it was obvious at a glance that they had been read.

Jessica then came in from outside, handed Martin a plan, and said, "There's no time to prepare; it's all blank."

Martin said, "A cover is all I need."

He handed the proposal to Bruce: "Read it carefully, go through it several times."

Bruce took it, opened the cover which was all white paper, pulled over a chair and sat down, flipping through it again and again.

Martin also looked at the two fairy tale books, trying to familiarize himself with the details he had long forgotten.

After lunch and a short rest, it was almost time to meet Daniel. The two briefly discussed and arranged their desks.

Martin had just returned from Missouri and had a lot of work to do at the studio, so he was very busy and his desk was a little messy.

Several documents awaiting signature were placed in the front left, along with a pen holder and other items casually placed to one side.

The other books and documents were also somewhat scattered.

Among them are two books: "Jack and the Beanstalk" and "Jack the Giant Slayer".

Below the book, a small portion of the project proposal, placed askew, is visible, revealing the project name and the name Jack.

Since it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, Martin could only dig a hole at random and then wait for Daniel and Jon Berg to come to him.

Around 2:30 p.m., Daniel and Jon arrived at the entrance of Davis's studio.

"I'm here to discuss the distribution, why do you insist on following along?" The former seemed slightly dissatisfied.

Jon laughed and said, "Let you introduce me to Martin. I want to find more interesting film projects from Martin in the future. How can we do that if we don't know each other?"

Daniel cautioned, "You'd better be careful; Martin is not someone to mess with."

Jon's smile faded, and he said, "I know he's not someone to mess with, but you also have to understand that we are Warner Bros. executives, investors, and distributors; we're the ones who give them a living."

Daniel said no more and went straight into the studio, with Jon quickly following.

The receptionist greeted them and led them up to the third floor. They knocked on an office door, and Martin immediately came out to greet them.

"Come on in, please." Martin shook hands with Daniel and Jon and said, "I just got back to Los Angeles from Missouri last night. I've been very busy today, so things are a bit chaotic. Please don't mind."

Jon noticed that the office wasn't very big, and Martin's desk was rather messy, probably because he was working when they arrived.

His gaze swept quickly across Martin's desk, and he paused when he saw the two fairy tale books.

Jon believed he had observed very carefully; both books showed signs of recent reading, with slightly curled corners and noticeably creased covers, all of which proved this.

People Martin's age are generally not interested in these kinds of fairy tales.

Jon made this judgment without difficulty, and then he had a feeling that it was indeed true. The printed manuscript at the bottom of a book was placed haphazardly, with half of the cover showing, and the words "Jack" and "Project" could be seen.

Is this a new project?

Jon remained impassive, his gaze sweeping over the scene as if he hadn't seen anything.

Daniel went out of his way to introduce Jon Berg to Martin.

Martin exchanged a few polite words with Jon and invited them to the reception area to talk.

Daniel cut straight to the point, saying, "Martin, I heard you're in talks with Disney about distribution?"

Martin said, "Alan Horn is an old friend of ours. He approached me about a collaboration a while ago, and I couldn't very well refuse."

His words were equally direct: "The terms offered by Disney Studios, just in terms of North American distribution alone, are three percentage points lower than those offered by Warner Bros. Including overseas and offline distribution, based on the first John Wick movie, the production company's revenue will be tens of millions of dollars more."

Daniel pointed out, "You're overlooking one point: the reason 'John Wick' has such high revenue is thanks to Warner Bros.' extensive global distribution network. Without Warner Bros.' global distribution, the film's total revenue would be significantly lower."

Martin added, "John Wick 2 is a sequel to a blockbuster movie. Is it inappropriate to simply apply a rigid distribution strategy?"

"This involves multiple films from multiple companies, making the situation very complicated." Daniel knew very well that Kevin Tsujihara's side couldn't be changed, so only the downstream partners could be changed: "Warner Bros.' distribution channels can effectively increase a film's total revenue. With higher total revenue, you can get a larger share."

The disagreement between the two sides was a deadlock, and the one who brought it up was Warner Bros.' current captain. Martin sighed: "Disney's distribution channels are not necessarily inferior to Warner Bros.'s."

Daniel emphasized, "But over the years, Warner Bros. has done the best in Hollywood across all channels, both online and offline."

"I've worked with Warner Bros. for many years, and you're an old friend of mine. If the terms between Warner Bros. and Disney aren't too different, I'll definitely choose to work with Warner Bros. first." At least half of what Martin said was true.

He looked at Daniel: "You know, although the film is produced by my studio, it involves multiple investors, and I have to take their interests and opinions into consideration."

There's really not much more to say at this point.

The two sides simply couldn't reach an agreement.

Jon had prepared a lot to say, but after seeing the two books, he kept everything to himself, except for the occasional interjection.

Daniel ultimately failed to reach an agreement with Martin and left Davis Studio with Jon.

After seeing the two off, Martin asked, "How was it?"

Bruce remained quietly observing from the corner of the office: "That guy from Warner Bros. looked at the desk."

Watching something doesn't necessarily mean you'll dislike it. Martin stopped asking questions and went to Pacific Pictures to find Louise.

Meanwhile, after parting ways with Daniel, Jon immediately returned to his office, asked someone to bring him two books, "Jack and the Beanstalk" and "Jack the Giant Slayer," and quickly flipped through them.

He had already read the book and remembered the main content.

These classic fairy tales have been adapted many times by film and television companies around the world through animation, movies, and television programs.

Jon suddenly remembered that two of the three projects Daniel had provided were related to fairy tales: Peter Pan and The Wizard of Oz.

This was a project that Martin Davis was optimistic about, but Daniel outmaneuvered Martin, causing Martin to lose the rights.

Is Martin turning his attention to making other children's movies?

Is a new era of fairy tale films about to begin?

Jon didn't jump to conclusions. He pressed the intercom, called his assistant McDonald, and instructed, "Go and gather information on whether other Hollywood companies have plans or projects to adapt classic fairy tales, mainly medium to large-scale investments."

"Yes." McDonald did so immediately.

Jon hadn't even finished reading Jack and Beanstalk when McDonald returned.

He handed the printed detailed information to his boss and said, "Several companies have launched remakes of classic fairy tale movies. Relativity Media has invested heavily and brought in Julia Roberts to work on a project called 'Mirror Mirror.'"

Jon was also looking at the materials.

McDonald continued, "Universal Pictures plans to invest around $1.5 million to produce 'Snow White and the Huntsman,' with Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron already confirmed to join the cast. Disney, on the other hand, intends to combine elements of Grimm's fairy tales such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel into a live-action fairy tale musical..."

Jon nodded slightly, immediately understanding why Martin was interested in fairy tales; many Hollywood companies had plans in this area.

If other companies have it, Warner should have it too.

Jon's gaze fell on the two fairy tale books. Simply adapting and filming according to the fairy tale plot as in the past would definitely not work. Perhaps combining them would be a good idea.

The actions of many large companies in the industry made Jon increasingly believe that it was feasible.

He even had more ideas: the end of Warner Bros.' most popular children's book series, Harry Potter, was inevitable, but what if a new children's book movie project succeeded...?

(End of this chapter)