America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 23. Deadpool and Shark Tornado

New York, John F. Kennedy International Airport.

A Lincoln is speeding towards Rhode Island.

bell.

The phone rang, and Warren's voice came through.

"Eric, they say you went to New York."

"Yes, I've arrived and am on my way to Rhodes Island, preparing to make contact with Hasbro."

"Really? You can definitely handle them and get the Transformers license."

"Hopefully we can succeed on the first try, but I doubt it will be that simple."

"You'll always find a way, but since you're not in Los Angeles, I'll just give you a briefing over the phone."

At AK Films, Bemahadi has already hired a deputy manager who will be starting work in the next few days.

The script for "Sharknado" is currently in development and is expected to be completed within a week. This kind of illogical and terrible movie is really not challenging.

The screenwriter even made a request: he just wanted to earn some extra money, but he didn't want to lose face, so his name shouldn't appear in the film; he didn't want to be nailed to the pillar of shame.

Apart from the male lead, all the actors have been confirmed. Eric doesn't know any of them; they're all unknown actors, and their total salary will not exceed $10.

There are plenty of actors like this in both Hollywood and China, who enter the entertainment industry to pursue their dreams and hope to become big stars.

After wasting several years or even a decade, he might have acted in a few plays, but most of the time he was just playing minor roles and never became famous, eventually leaving the scene in disappointment.

The result was that he squandered his youth and wasted his time, and he had no other skills to make a living, making a complete mess of things.

Women are better off; as long as they are pretty, they can usually find someone to take them on. They may not become rich and powerful, but they can live a peaceful and stable life.

Male actors are in a worse situation. In the end, they can only resort to shady jobs or work as cashiers or insurance salesmen. While their peers are all happily married with children, they still have to work hard delivering food.

When people around him asked what he used to do, he could only give a wry smile and then advise young people never to enter the entertainment industry, as it is a black hole.

If there's no one else to choose for the male lead, I'd like to recommend someone.

"His name is Ryan Reynolds. He started as a child actor and has been in the industry for many years, but he has never become famous. He is probably not in a good situation now. You can contact him."

"Tell him that although 'Sharknado' is a bad movie, it's bad in a unique way, and it will definitely help him make a name for himself."

"Moreover, this is my project. If his performance is outstanding, MGM will give him priority consideration for their new film, and we can offer him a slightly higher salary."

On the other end of the phone, Warren jotted down a name on a piece of paper: "Ryan Reynolds, I've got him. The person you recommended can't be a problem. I'll contact the Screen Actors Guild right away."

Speaking of the male lead, the name Deadpool suddenly popped into Eric's head, immediately giving Warren an idea.

Ryan Reynolds and Sharkshot, it actually makes a pretty good pairing.

Moreover, Deadpool is not famous yet. Although he entered the industry very early, he has not been very lucky and has not made a name for himself after more than ten years.

Eric remembered that Ryan Reynolds had a movie released recently, I think it was a Lionsgate film, called "The King of Repeaters".

This kind of campus youth film isn't as good as "American Pie," so its box office performance naturally won't be very high.

After the movie's release, Ryan Reynolds' fame increased somewhat, but not significantly; he only began to emerge among teenagers.

With the money in place and certain promises made, winning him over shouldn't be a problem.

"As for directors, I would also like to recommend someone: Kieran Efferry Wayans, the director of 'Scary Movie,' a member of the Wayans family. He is good at this style of film. You can try to invite him. If it doesn't work out, then forget it. You can decide for yourselves."

"Okay, I've got it."

"Boss, we've arrived."

At this moment, the car slowly stopped in front of a building. Chen Xing hurriedly jumped out of the car from the passenger seat and opened the door. Facing him was a Volvo and a middle-aged man wearing glasses.

"Boss, this is Mr. Sergey Hasenfeld, the CEO of Hasbro," Volvo hurriedly introduced.

Eric needed a favor this time, so he quickly walked up and clasped his hands together.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Hasenfield!"

"Me too, Mr. Cooper. You're one of the hottest stars in Hollywood right now, with that $28 billion investment. I've been wanting to meet you for a while now."

The two exchanged a smile, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then entered the building.

It must be said that Volvo is indeed very efficient; in just over ten days, it made contact with Hasbro's senior management.

Sergey Hasenfeld is the current CEO of Hasbro, second only to the CEO within the group.

The CEO is named Alan Hasenfeld, and the two are uncle and nephew.

According to Volvo, Hasbro had long wanted to tap into the Transformers goldmine, especially after seeing the success of Spider-Man. That bouncy boy next door brought Sony over $3 million in direct revenue, and indirect revenue was another astronomical sum.

With such terrifying money-making ability, not to mention Hasbro, any company would be envious, which is why things are progressing so smoothly.

There was no site visit or research session; both sides went directly into the meeting room, discussed some details, and after some compromises, finally got to the most pressing issue.

"Mr. Hasenfeld, I hope you understand that we are extremely sincere about this collaboration. We believe that Transformers has extraordinary market potential and will definitely cause a global movie-going frenzy once it is released."

"I also believe this. Transformers has a wide audience and influence worldwide, affecting the childhoods of countless people, but we still have some concerns about making a live-action movie."

"Speaking."

"The first issue is filming. Can current digital technology support the filming requirements of Transformers? Poor quality results will only damage its brand value."

"Mr. Hasenfield, this is also a key focus for us. This will be a special effects blockbuster. I can assure you that MGM's investment in special effects will be no less than $1 million, which can be written into the contract."

Upon hearing the figure of $1 million, Hasenfield's eyes lit up instantly.

He had inquired and found out that the production cost of Spider-Man was about 1.3 million. After deducting the director, actors, props, post-production and other expenses, the special effects cost was actually only about 7000 million US dollars.

If MGM's investment truly reaches $1 million, the effect will be absolutely phenomenal.

Nodding somewhat satisfied, Hasenfield then raised his second key question: "The other issue is the copyright fee. As you know, the Transformers animated series had very good ratings last year, so we hope to increase the licensing fee by 20%."

I will try my best. If you have any good ideas, please feel free to share them. Please bookmark this page and keep reading. Thank you so much!

(End of this chapter)