America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 42, Section 44: They're Here (Please add to your favorites, please continue reading, and please, dear readers, don't leave this book unread)

The MGM Grand.

Eric quietly sipped his coffee, waiting for the other person to finish reading the script.

Sitting opposite him was Frank Darabont, the director who received two Oscar nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay and one for Best Picture, and who directed The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. He was reading the script for The Walking Dead.

The script, from the initial outline provided by Eric, was polished over two months, longer than the script for "Transformers." Finally, it was deemed ready, and the company contacted Darabont. Today, the bald director arrived as scheduled.

Letting out a long breath, Delavant first took a big gulp of coffee. He didn't like adding sugar, and the bitter taste made the bald man look even more awkward.

"It's a good script. I like the struggle of humanity in the apocalypse, but it seems to be incomplete."

"Frank, what do you want to do?"

"Is there a filming plan? What's the start date? I'd like to know if MGM is in a hurry to start filming."

"The sooner the better. This project has been dragging on for a long time, and I don't want to miss next year's Emmy Awards."

If the Oscars are the highest award for film, then the Emmys are the highest award for television.

虽然艾美奖颁奖礼一般是在9月份召开，但能够入选的作品是节选自上一年的6月1日到本年的5月31日。

In other words, if The Walking Dead wants to be nominated for an Emmy Award, it needs to premiere before May 31st next year.

It's early November now, and MGM only has a maximum of seven months left. During that time, they still have to go through casting, filming, post-production, and most importantly, selling the project to television stations, so time is still very tight.

Darabont pondered for a moment: "Then give me another week. I want to revise the script! No, I want to enrich the script! It's already great; all I can do is polish it."

Eric nodded: "Okay."

"Also, how much say do I have in casting?"

"Apart from the role of Maggie Green, you have the final say on the other roles. I trust your judgment."

Trust those you employ, and don't employ those you don't trust!

Darabont smiled. Who wouldn't like an investor and producer like this? He's practically perfect!

The two shook hands, and looking at Eric's youthful face, Darabont couldn't help but exclaim, "What a spirited young man!"

Looking back at myself, I invited Jim Carrey to star in the movie "Forgot Who I Am" last year. I originally planned to use it to compete for an Oscar, and Jim Carrey also hoped to use this movie to transition to serious dramas.

Unfortunately, Jim Carrey certainly had a great time acting, but the film was a critical and commercial flop. Forget about the Oscars, it was practically being vilified by film critics.

This setback also cast a shadow over Darabont's resume, and some jobs were canceled. That's just how realistic Hollywood is.

"Perhaps trying my hand at TV dramas would be a good idea; hopefully, it can open up a new world for me!"

By late November, Red Dragon had finished its run in theaters, with a final global box office of less than $310 million.

The Silence of the Lambs trilogy has now come to an end, with a total box office of $950 million. Although it didn't reach $1 billion, which is a bit of a shame, it can still be considered a perfect ending.

The production team held a celebration party, which Eric attended. During the party, he wanted to invite Anthony Hopkins to play the Secretary of Defense in "Transformers".

However, the old man was worried that the audience would not be able to adapt to the sudden transformation from a cannibal to the Minister of Defense, so he declined.

Eric really wanted to work with him, but Hopkins stuck to his own opinion.

There's nothing we can do but wait for another opportunity. Anyway, this old man is a long-lived man; he'll still be in great health in 2023, so there's plenty of time.

"Barbershop" has been in theaters for a week. As a movie starring all Black people, it is not worried about box office. Although the political correctness trend is not as strong as it was more than ten years ago, and it is not as exaggerated as it was during "Black Panther 2", Black guys still went to the cinema with their friends. Black movies are not common.

With the help of his black friends, "Barbershop" grossed nearly $3000 million in its opening weekend, while its production cost of over $800 million meant it had already made a profit.

Furthermore, this film has been minimally affected by the impact of blockbusters. If it continues on this trend, it shouldn't be difficult to gross 70 to 80 million worldwide, making it a typical example of a small investment yielding a big return.

"Die Another Day" also completed its opening weekend, with Eric representing MGM at the premiere.

This is the twentieth film in the 007 series and Pierce Brosnan's last. Halle Berry, known for her role in "Gone Girl," and Rosamund Pike, who is well-known to Chinese audiences, also participated.

I became familiar with these three people, especially Rosamund Pike, who is only 23 years old now, the age when an apple is just ripe.

Eric exchanged contact information with them and agreed to collaborate in the future.

On the Transformers side, the Department of Defense was very satisfied with MGM's proposal, and with the father's generous donations, the military gave it the green light after only one discussion.

MGM was allowed to film inside the military base and could borrow necessary weapons and equipment from the U.S. military, such as main battle tanks, fighter jets, and gunboats, to assist in the filming.

They will also provide MGM with internal military training videos to facilitate post-production compositing for the film, since they can't actually wage war just to make a movie.

MGM only needs to pay $1000 million for this, which is incredibly cheap; they couldn't even buy a few parts for the F-22.

The Department of Defense's only requirement was that they review the footage before it was finalized to ensure a positive image of the U.S. military and that there be no blemishes.

Several sponsors have already signed contracts. For example, Nokia has secured the mobile phone product placement, and MGM has promised to create a Transformer specifically for Nokia, with a screen time of no less than 5 minutes.

Nokia will have to pay $750 million for this, which seems expensive, but it's because Nokia is going to launch a new smartphone next year, and the combination of the two will create a blockbuster product.

Weta Digital also reached an agreement on the price. Peter Jackson agreed to reduce the price by $15,000 per second, on the condition that the release date of "Transformers" would not conflict with "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," and the two films would be released at least three weeks apart.

Meanwhile, Weta Digital will also be responsible for the special effects of future Transformers films, so that everyone can benefit from each other and make money together.

Peter Jackson's request was not unreasonable, and Eric had no desire to confront the monster of "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" head-on. After the groundwork laid by the first two films, everyone knew that "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" was going to wreak havoc.

To be honest, Eric didn't have much confidence in the Autobots when facing the Hobbits.

While preparations were proceeding rapidly, the long-awaited audition for the male lead also began.

Inside the MGM Grand, the receptionist was already overwhelmed by the sight of countless handsome men, both familiar and unfamiliar, passing before her eyes. Their variety perfectly fulfilled all her fantasies from the ship.

Looking at the register: James Franco, Ryan Gosling, Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, Chris Evans, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Foster, Shia LaBeouf, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Tom Hardy.

(End of this chapter)