America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 867 Epic is Equivalent to Death

In the director's office, Martin looked at Robert Eggers with curiosity.

If I remember correctly, this bearded assistant director was Natasha's client.

However, during filming, Martin had a good impression of him and felt that he was capable.

Among the assistant directors, besides Steve Downton, Robert Eggers was the only one.

Robert Eggers tentatively asked, "Martin, I've written a script myself, could you take a look?"

Martin nodded: "Of course."

Robert Eggers opened the briefcase he had brought, handed over the bound script, and said, "I... previously made an experimental film, and researched a lot about witches in New England, and that's how this script came about."

Martin took the script and carefully looked through it. The script was very well completed and had obviously been revised several times. The content was roughly about how the Mayflower carried a group of people to New England, and one family settled in the desolate wilderness and then suffered a curse.

It involves one of the most common elements in Western horror and thriller genres—witches!

After Martin finished reading the script, Robert Eggers quickly said, "This is based on a true story that took place 62 years before the famous Salem witch hunt."

Fearing that Martin might categorize his screenplay as an original film, he added, "It's documented."

Martin wasn't concerned with those things: "What about the production costs?"

"If I were to direct it, $300 to $400 million would be enough." Robert Eggers didn't forget to highlight himself: "My plan is to finish the film first, then go to the Sundance Film Festival and make a name for myself there..."

He suddenly stopped talking at this point, because the person opposite him was a master at making movies.

When Martin was a third of the way through the script, he realized that he recognized some of the plot points because he had read the film, but he wasn't sure how the movie was received.

He recalled briefly, and the clearest memory he had was of the female lead. She had a very distinctive appearance. She was pretty and distinctive in the early stages, and later, after plastic surgery, she became even more distinctive, but her face looked like a goldfish.

In her previous life, she was known online as Goldfish Girl.

Later, it seems that Goldfish Girl became very popular?

"Your agent is Natasha, right?" Martin asked, putting away the script after the other person nodded. "I'll have someone contact her."

Robert Eggers' anxiety eased considerably, and he quickly replied, "Okay, okay."

He thought to himself, "Finally, I've made the right choice by following the path Natasha has laid out for me."

If I hadn't gotten to know Martin and proven myself to be a capable and reliable person at work, the script probably wouldn't have even reached Martin's hands.

Who cares about new screenwriters like myself and directors who have only made experimental films? Hollywood has plenty of them.

Just as Robert Eggers left, Louise came in from outside.

Martin told her to wait a moment and then called Jessica and Natasha separately to discuss the project, with an investment of up to $400 million.

Louise listened to Martin on the phone, and, somewhat curious, pointed to the script on the desk.

Martin nodded slightly.

Louise flipped through the script and, after a moment, said, "Horror/thriller?" With her experience, she could easily discern the creator's style from the script: "Something doesn't feel right. It's a bit more artistic, isn't it? Is this aimed at film festivals?"

Martin hung up the phone: "It's a film by assistant director Roberto Eggers; he wants to write and direct it himself."

"Robert Eggers?" Louise was impressed with him: "An assistant director with outstanding work ability and a lot of ideas."

She cautioned, "The film should be shot according to the style of the script, and it's best to control the scale of the investment."

Martin stated, "The production budget is at most $400 million."

Louise pulled out a chair and sat down opposite him. Thinking of Martin's bet with Leonardo, she asked, "You're not going to be obsessed with winning awards from now on, are you? A company whose main business is managing Oscars is hardly profitable."

Martin was well aware of this: "Harvey Weinstein was actually facing an economic crisis before he went in. The Weinstein Company was not making good profits, owed debts to many banks, and had mortgaged the copyrights of many award-winning films."

In his previous life, he worked for several Hollywood companies specializing in Oscar contenders. Weinstein Company aside, Megan Ellison's Annapurna Pictures won numerous Oscars but went bankrupt due to poor profitability. Later, A24 seemed to win one Best Picture Oscar after another, but in the end, it still had to seek to sell itself.

The two chatted for a while, and Martin thought of the goldfish girl he remembered because of "The Witches". He had two other works that left the deepest impression on him, one of which was "The Split" from his previous life.

The other one was about chess, and the Chinese title was "Queen's Gambit," but I don't think it was called that in English. He couldn't remember the exact title.

Martin bluntly asked Louise, "I remember reading somewhere a report about an American female chess player during the Cold War who defeated the former Soviet Union's world champion. It might have been a novel or a non-fiction piece. I glanced at it back then, and now I think it has great potential for adaptation."

Louise, being a leftist, immediately understood: "Adapted into a female-centric drama?"

Martin nodded: "A film or TV series with a woman as the absolute protagonist, especially a woman who has achieved great success internationally."

Louise recalled, "I remember there was a similar script in Hollywood... um, I saw it many years ago, let me think, it must have been in the 90s, but I'm not quite sure."

The 1990s? Martin wasn't surprised. He had encountered many similar scripts that circulated in Hollywood for over a decade or two before being filmed.

Louise picked up the phone and called her assistant, asking her to check the relevant information.

Martin also called Thomas and the studio.

Perhaps too much time had passed, and by the time I got off work, there was still no reply.

Martin didn't mind and told his men to keep looking.

After all, Hollywood has so many scripts and acquired copyrights that it's normal to not be able to find one in a short time.

The following day, Martin arrived at the studio where the "Split" crew was located.

The set is being built here. The set crew is transforming the huge Studio One into an underground residence that will serve as the main filming location, according to David Fincher's requirements.

There was also an iron cage among them.

David Fincher came out from the innermost part and saw Martin standing in front of the cage. He said, "There will be someone locked inside."

Martin said, "A beautiful woman?"

David Fincher won the Oscar for Best Director and started a collaboration with Netflix. Now, everything about his work is geared towards commercial success: "Not only box office, but also a good physique, and the person can't be over 20 years old, preferably 18."

Young and beautiful female characters are a standard feature in horror and thriller films.

Martin reminded him, "It's not easy to find an 18-year-old actress with great acting skills."

The female supporting character locked in the cage has the most screen time besides the male lead, and her emotions are quite complex, requiring a certain level of acting skill.

David Fincher said, "Most of the most talented child stars in their teens become mediocre in acting and their figures and looks often fall short of expectations by the time they are seventeen or eighteen..."

This is a common practice in Hollywood, Martin chimed in: "Let's hold a large-scale audition."

David Fincher nodded: "I'll have someone post GG in the Screen Actors Guild and the media later. There are enough actors in Los Angeles. As long as we give them a chance, it won't be difficult to find a suitable actress."

Martin agreed: "Actors are easy to find." He said to Bruce, who had come along, "Call Thomas and ask WMA to recommend some people."

David Fincher glanced at his watch and said, "The Netflix people should be arriving soon."

Martin walked towards the studio entrance: "The founder and chairman of Netflix are visiting. Let's go and greet them."

The two came out of Studio One and waited for a few minutes. A four-wheeled electric vehicle drove up, and Reed Hastings got out and quickly walked up to Martin and David Fincher.

He smiled and nodded at David Fincher, then shook hands firmly with Martin: "Long time no see, Martin. You're now one of Hollywood's top superstars."

Martin replied with a smile, "I'm just one of them; Netflix is ​​undoubtedly the world's number one streaming service."

David Fincher invited Reed Hastings and his group to visit the studio.

The two parties walked around the photography studio and then went to the office area on the other side.

Reed Hastings sat in the meeting room, his gaze sweeping over Martin, and said, "I've heard David mention your new project, the multiple personality character, which means you'll be playing multiple different roles in one film."

He joked, "The production team should pay you several times more."

David Fincher added, "Martin's studio is the biggest investor in this project."

Martin said, "I can pay myself multiple salaries."

Reed Hastings put away his joke and said seriously, "Netflix would like to cover your extra paychecks."

Martin laughed and said, "My studio has a film distribution contract with Disney Studios until 2019, so I won't be earning any more Netflix fees."

Reed Hastings is a man with lofty goals: "We can talk about film collaborations again after 2019."

A thought struck him: "You only signed a film distribution contract?"

Martin understood what he meant: "Because I wasn't interested in TV series in the past."

Before Netflix truly rose to prominence, few of Hollywood's top stars were willing to film television series, even if the pay was high.

For example, in "House of Cards," the male lead is also Kevin Spacey, whose career has faded.

Reed Hastings said, "Martin, if you ever become interested in television series and want to produce them, Netflix is ​​always ready to help."

Before Martin could speak, he specifically mentioned, "You're now one of the top individual shareholders of Netflix, and Netflix's stock price is a bit unstable right now..."

In recent years, in addition to purchasing individual shares, Martin has also invested in Netflix’s three rounds of financing and share expansion, holding nearly five percent of Netflix’s shares.

Netflix's current market capitalization has just exceeded $400 billion, and Martin's investments in Netflix over the years have increased nearly eightfold overall.

When he first invested, Netflix's market value was only a few billion dollars.

Martin, who has been busy promoting Interstellar and post-production on The Shallows, as well as preparing for multiple personality roles, hasn't been paying much attention to Netflix. He asked, "What happened?"

These are all things that are out in the open, Reed Hastings said directly: "In addition to the hugely successful 'House of Cards,' Netflix also invested in an epic production."

Martin had a bad feeling when he heard about epic productions, because of his past life, he had epic-genre syndrome.

In his eyes, an epic is tantamount to death.

Director Ridley Scott definitely understands this all too well.

Reed Hastings added, "Marco Polo's Netflix run this summer received terrible reviews and low subscriber numbers. Netflix invested $1 million in the project, averaging $1000 million per episode."

Regarding the value of the stocks in his hands, Martin stated directly, "My personal advice is to avoid epic-themed topics in the future."

Netflix's stock price had been soaring after "House of Cards," breaking through $400 billion. However, the release of "Marco Polo" not only interrupted the upward trend but also caused the stock price to start to decline.

Reed Hastings said with heartbreak, "No more epic series. Netflix is ​​never making epic series again."

He looked at David Fincher: "Once you've finished filming this movie, come back and host the second season of House of Cards as soon as possible."

David Fincher nodded: "No problem."

Reed Hastings then asked Martin, "As a shareholder, do you have any advice?" He seemed to think highly of Martin: "Netflix's stock price is waiting for a savior."

Martin wouldn't take such words seriously, but Netflix's rising stock price was also related to his own interests. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I have a creative idea, but it's not confirmed yet. Let's wait a while."

Reed Hastings asked, "What type?"

Martin said, "The modern type, we can talk about that later when I have some ideas on my end?"

He certainly wouldn't tell Reed Hastings about the details; the collaboration was simply to sell the finished product to Netflix.

Reed Hastings, however, had complete confidence in Martin, saying, "Make sure to let me know immediately."

Martin casually replied, "No problem."

One of the purposes of Reed Hastings' visit today was to express his regard for David Fincher and to discuss potential collaborations with Martin.

These things went relatively smoothly.

After having lunch together, the three of them went to visit Davis's studio.

In the meeting room, looking at the posters for the John Wick series, he asked Martin, "I saw in the news last time that this series is preparing to expand into a wider universe. Have you considered a TV series?"

Martin, knowing that Chad had made similar plans, said, "Netflix will send a professional team over to talk to director Chad Stahelski."

"No problem." Reed Hastings felt he had gained a lot.

The same goes for Martin; Netflix is ​​a good buyer, paying far more for the premiere of a series than traditional television networks.

(End of this chapter)