America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 103. Taking the "Back Door"

"Frank, 950 million subscribers are watching simultaneously. Congratulations on successfully directing another excellent TV series."

On the phone, Eric congratulated Frank de la Bunt.

The other party was currently busy with work and was obviously unaware of the data for the first episode of "The Walking Dead." Upon hearing this, he immediately let out a low growl of excitement.

"I knew it. I was certain that The Walking Dead would be great, but $950 million was still a bit unexpected. It seems that taking on this project was the best decision I ever made."

"I've always thought so, Frank. Keep your enthusiasm up and do your best in the remaining scenes. By the way, what episode are we filming on now?"

"I've already finished editing 8 episodes for episode 11, so don't worry, it definitely won't affect the broadcast."

"Okay, let's get ready. We're going to rake in some big prizes at this year's Emmys."

"Hmph, 'Forgot Who I Am' has made those guys mock me. The Emmys are a great opportunity, and I'd like to see what they have to say then!"

"Ha ha ha ha."

After giving Delabont a pep talk, Eric pondered for a moment and then called Ashley Olsen.

After a few beeps, the call was connected.

Hi, Ashley.

"Eric, I'm here. What's up?"

"Where's Mary? Isn't she here?"

"Mary went to class, and I'm the only one in the office. Is there anything you want to say? I can pass it on."

"Hmm, have you watched The Walking Dead?"

"What?"

"MGM's new series premiered on HBO yesterday."

"Sorry, I haven't been paying much attention to small screens lately. Are you trying to recommend one to me? If so, I'd be quite interested, but what kind of drama is it?"

"Apocalypse and zombies. If you haven't seen it, go check it out. I plan to license this show to Double Star Entertainment to develop related merchandise. Its commercial potential is definitely no less than that of The Pink Panther. It will be even better after subsequent episodes are broadcast."

A bit stunned by Eric's sudden decision, Ashley was somewhat taken aback.

"Wait, Eric, you're too fast. Give me some time to think. You mean zombies? But what do zombies have to do with us?"

After taking a sip of coffee, Eric continued, "If you're asking about the relationship with the Olsen Sisters brand, it might be difficult to connect them, but what I mean is to produce independently and run The Walking Dead merchandise separately."

"Use Twin Star Entertainment's factories to produce zombie T-shirts, zombie hats, zombie dolls, zombie accessories, as well as zombie ice cream and zombie chocolate. These things will sell like hotcakes very soon."

"We need to prepare in advance; I don't want this money to be made by those damn pirates."

Ashley Olsen finally understood. Eric's model, to put it nicely, was licensing; to put it bluntly, it was just treating DoubleStar Entertainment as a processing plant.

Then, we need to use Double Star Entertainment's sales channels. This approach saves a lot of costs compared to outsourcing to other companies, and the savings naturally translate into profits.

Ashley sighed inwardly. If anyone else had made such a request, the Olsen sisters would have certainly charged a fee, at least a processing fee.

But Eric was different. He was a major shareholder of DoubleStar Entertainment, and MGM had also granted DoubleStar Entertainment the rights to use many classic films and television series at a low price. In this respect, the Olsen twins benefited.

There are gains and losses, so when producing merchandise for The Walking Dead, Twin Star Entertainment can only charge the cost price.

It's foreseeable that this won't just be the case for "The Walking Dead"; when other suitable popular IPs emerge, they will follow the same path.

Ashley Olsen coughed a few times: "Eric, what you say is fine, but I know about clothing and accessories. As long as it's a watermark or decal, that's fine. That's how we do it with our merchandise."

"But what are zombie ice cream and zombie chocolate? Forgive my limited imagination."

"I'm asking you, what do zombies like to eat?" Eric asked.

"Do they eat people?"

"Yes, they not only eat people, but they also particularly like to eat brains, so we made ice cream in the shape of brains. It's not difficult."

"The chocolate is very simple. It's shaped like human internal organs. Forget about the children's version, it's still the traditional heart shape. I don't want to get complaints from parents, but I doubt any children would buy this anyway."

"In short, use your brain and let the designers work with confidence and boldness."

"You need to understand one thing: whether a product can sell or not depends not on its color and shape, but on the influence of the IP. As long as The Walking Dead is successful enough, even if you make ice cream into a pile of poop, there will still be brainless fans willing to buy it."

"And I have absolute confidence in this show, understand?"

Since Eric had said so, Ashley Olsen couldn't find a reason to refuse and could only agree.

At that moment, she suddenly felt a sense of unease. Although there were benefits to cooperating with large companies, Eric Cooper had already shown a bit of dominance.

It hasn't been long since he took over Double Star Entertainment, but his subtle aggression seems even stronger than Robert Solni's, after all, Solni doesn't have a lion by his side.

Changing the subject, Ashley asked, "Eric, when exactly will filming for 'Blue Is the Warmest Color' begin?"

"We've been preparing for over three months, and the production plan was announced a week ago, but to this day, Mary and I don't even know who the director or producer is. Has MGM not made a decision yet?"

"Don't worry, Ashley, it'll be up and running soon, maybe in a few days," Eric reassured her, noticing her anxiety.

Unexpectedly, Ashley became a little anxious when he said that: "No, I'm not trying to rush you. I just hope this movie can save our career. It's better to take it slow than to rush it. Mary and I have already said that if it fails again, we'll retire from the industry."

"Hahaha. Isn't this just a publicity stunt? You guys actually believed it?"

It's not common for celebrities to make a comeback after retiring from the entertainment industry. For example, Barbie Hsu made a comeback not long after announcing her retirement, which was jokingly said to be faster than her remarriage.

There are also those who use retiring from the entertainment industry to generate buzz, like Kurosawa Chiling, who announced her retirement yesterday and made a comeback the next day.

But Ashley's tone was very serious: "Eric, Mary and I are not joking, because we are not just celebrities, we are also business people."

"Celebrities can disregard their reputation, and some even enjoy using bad reputation to increase their exposure, but businessmen cannot. This would make the public question our integrity. You should understand how important integrity is to a brand."

Realizing the other person wasn't joking, Eric couldn't help but admire them.

"Ashley, I guarantee this movie will be of good quality. If the final cut isn't up to par, we'll reshoot it even if it's scrapped, because I don't like bad movies either."

"Today is April 16th. Filming will begin in early May. Let Mary get ready."

"Really?" Ashley asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yes, I'll be the director!"

"What?"

She was only slightly surprised before, but when she heard that Eric was a director, she was truly astonished.

Because Eric's directing skills are currently at Schrödinger's level, in short, no one can say for sure, and if you can't count them, then it's unreliable.

Before she could react, Eric had already hung up: "I have a call coming in, we'll talk another time, sorry!"

"Hey, Nico! Did you miss me?" Eric asked with a smile.

"Don't talk, Eric. I have a question for you," Nicole Kidman's anxious voice came from the other end of the line.

"What's the problem?"

Eric hesitated. Was this beautiful woman going to cause him trouble again? Her questions were not easy to answer.

"What happened with that phone call?"

"Huh? What call?"

"Rick, did Rick run away?"

"Rick? Rick and Morty?" Eric didn't know why he blurted out the name of this amazing show.

"Idiot, I'm talking about The Walking Dead. Is Rick out of there?"

"Oh, so that's what you wanted to ask." Eric finally realized.

"Otherwise what? Should I ask you which girl you're with?"

"Nico, even though we're close, I can still sue you for defamation if you say things like that. Wait, you watched The Walking Dead? You went back to America?"

At this point in time, HBO hasn't even started its global strategy yet. Not to mention now, even in a decade or two, despite being part of the Five Eyes alliance, Australia still won't be able to subscribe.

"Nonsense, if I weren't going back to the US, why would I be asking you this question? Just because you haven't called me, do you think I'd stay in Australia and never come back?"

Hearing the barbed tone in her words again, Eric quickly pleaded, "Don't be like that, Nico. I've been very busy these past two weeks. If you've been following the news, you'll know that Transformers has wrapped up filming. Who do you think deserves the credit?"

"It's not you anyway."

"Hehe. You just want to know what happens next, right? I'll come to your house tonight."

"No, if we get photographed by reporters, there really won't be any excuse this time."

"Don't worry, you came back secretly, didn't you? The paparazzi don't know yet. Besides, I don't go through the front door."

"Go through the back door? Nobody's ever used the back door, so maybe it's possible. But forget it, it'll be troublesome if we get photographed."

"I brought along the rest of The Walking Dead. You want to know the plot, right? We can watch it in advance."

"Alright then, you must be careful."

Nico eventually agreed, but whether it was to watch TV series or for some other reason was an open secret.

Ding Dong

When the doorbell rang, Nicole Kidman checked the time; the clock showed 8:54.

She knew who it was that knocked on her door so late without an appointment.

You're saying he's a bad person?

Please, this is Beverly Hills. There are at least 20 police officers patrolling here every day. Who would be so bored as to commit a crime here?

Click!

Upon opening the door, Nicole Kidman gasped in surprise, covering her mouth. "Eric, what happened to you?"

"Pooh!"

Spitting the leaf out of his mouth, Eric grimaced, "Don't even mention it. You should have told me there were thick bushes growing under the wall, and I fell in there."

"So you got in by climbing over the wall, hahaha."

Seeing the little man whose clothes and pants were torn to shreds, Nicole Kidman couldn't help but burst into laughter, and all the annoyance she had felt for the past few days vanished in an instant.

"You're still laughing!" Eric said angrily.

"Sir, what do you suggest I do?"

"Of course!"

Eric said viciously, grabbing Nicole and pulling her into his arms, forcibly pinning her struggling hands behind her back, and his mouth began to wildly slap her lips.

A moment later, the struggling hand gradually gave up, the strength disappeared without a trace, but the response became even more fervent.

"hiss"

Suddenly, Eric pushed the other person away, opened his mouth and inhaled deeply to relieve the pain in his tongue: "Why did you bite me again!"

Nicole Kidman looked at Eric with a half-smile: "This is revenge for you, for cutting off my contact, Eric Cooper. You little bastard! I'll make you remember this!"

Eric chuckled dryly a few times.

But then Nico suddenly pulled him into her arms, and no one knew how this frail body could unleash such great strength.

A kiss even more passionate than before instantly took over Eric's mind, and their clothes were unknowingly removed.

"You little rascal, that was your punishment just now, now I'm going to reward you."

Why?

"Because you're here. Do you know what women are thinking? Even if she says she doesn't want to, she secretly hopes you'll show up."

"What a complex creature. So, how are you going to reward me?"

Eric asked questions as he slowly walked around.

What do you think?

"I want to go through the back door." Eric slammed his large hand down.

"what!"

Nico was alarmed and hurriedly tried to get off him: "No, I heard it hurts a lot, I've never used it before."

"But you promised me, Nico."

"When did I ever agree to that?"

"You forgot so quickly, right over the phone?"

With no hope of escape, Nicole Kidman punched Eric in the chest: "I was talking about the back door, you bastard!"

"But I didn't go through the back door of the house, so I guess I'll have to make up for it here."

"No, let's watch TV first, hmm."

More than an hour later.

After spending so much time and effort, Eric finally got what he wanted.

At that moment, he was sitting on the sofa, grimacing, while Nicole was lying on his lap, pinching him incessantly.

"Don't pinch me, honey, or I really won't be able to walk tomorrow."

"Can you be in a worse situation than me? I'm the one who truly can't walk!"

哇欧

On the television, zombies were emitting low howls. Eric pointed and said, "Let's focus on the plot."

"Don't change the subject. We can keep the videotape and watch it later, you selfish bastard!"

"Only thinking of yourself? You've misunderstood me. Of course you're in my heart."

"Really? How can you prove it?"

Eric gently placed her head on the sofa, found his trousers, and then pulled an exquisite gift box from his pocket.

"This is a gift I brought from China, just for you. Wear it, it's like I'm always by your side."

Nicole Kidman's lips curled up slightly; she certainly hadn't expected this surprise.

I'm happy inside, but I have to keep up the act and remain serious on the surface.

I casually opened the box, and there lay a diamond necklace with a unique Chinese-style double-knot design.

With her discerning eye, she could naturally tell that this necklace was definitely worth a fortune.

Eric picked up the necklace and put it on her: "Nico, do you see this? This is called a love knot. In Chinese culture, it symbolizes love, meaning that two people's hearts are tied together."

Whose heart?

"Me and you!"

All pretense vanished in an instant, and Nicole looked at Eric with a dazed expression.

"You bastard, kiss me!"

An important figure will appear tomorrow. Hint: A singer who faced a difficult situation in 2003.

(End of this chapter)