novelraw Chapter 530
Chapter 530
Due to Guillermo del Toro's illness, production on the film "I Am Legend" had been suspended. Ever since visiting him in the hospital, Matthew had been paying close attention to the negotiations between Skydance Pictures and Universal Pictures, occasionally stopping by David's office.
He couldn't personally participate in the negotiations, as that could cause problems. This wasn't just Matthew's opinion; Helen and David had repeatedly told him the same thing.
The negotiations between the two parties were exceptionally difficult. During the initial talks, Universal rejected Skydance's $30 million offer for the sequel rights. Skydance later raised its offer to $40 million, but Universal continued to employ stalling tactics, refusing to give a direct answer.
A few days later, both parties returned to the negotiating table with an extremely strict condition: a non-disclosure agreement had to be signed beforehand, stipulating that neither Universal nor Skydance would have the right to disclose the content of the talks until their conclusion.
Matthew and David agreed to sign the non-disclosure agreement, although Skydance Pictures included the seven producers from "300" in the negotiation group, arguing that the film's production team had a right to be informed.
Thus, Matthew's name, as a credited producer on "300", was also included on the list, which didn't arouse any suspicion from Universal Pictures.
After the non-disclosure agreement was signed, the negotiations entered a tug-of-war phase. Matthew and David remained behind the scenes, directing their team remotely. They were initially looking for an opportunity to propose a rights swap, but to their surprise, Universal Pictures brought up the sequel rights to "300" before Skydance even had a chance to make an offer.
At the same time, Universal Pictures made an incredibly greedy demand, behaving just like any businessman who believed they held the upper hand.
In addition to proposing a trade for the sequel rights to "300", Universal also demanded a payment of $40 million from Skydance for the rights transfer.
Furthermore, Universal Pictures would hold the distribution rights to all future films in the "The Fast and the Furious" franchise produced by Skydance, taking a percentage of the box office gross and a fifty percent share of all ancillary revenue."Those conditions are far too harsh."
In the Skydance conference room, Helen's expression was cold. "With terms like that, all our future work would just be for the benefit of Universal Pictures."
David shook his head. "They're even greedier than I thought."
The CEO added, "Universal Studios clearly thinks they have us cornered."
The atmosphere in the conference room grew heavy. Matthew clenched his fists and finally spoke. "Reject their offer. Break off the negotiations."
David considered this.
The CEO said, "Matthew has a point. Let's just walk away."
"I'm no businessman; I'm just thinking about what we have to lose," Matthew said bluntly. "The moment Universal expressed interest in a '300' sequel, the whole game changed. We're holding a movie with a North American box office higher than the entire 'Fast and the Furious' trilogy combined."
He spread his hands. "So, I think the leverage is on our side now."
Hearing this, David slowly nodded.
Helen agreed. "We need to adjust our negotiating strategy accordingly."
Matthew shrugged. "I can make suggestions, but it's up to you all to decide how to proceed with the negotiations."
David frowned and thought for a moment. "Leave it to me," he declared.
That very day, during the next round of talks between Skydance Pictures and Universal Pictures, Skydance categorically rejected Universal's proposal, stating in no uncertain terms that the rights to "300" were not for sale.
Matthew and David had agreed that Skydance Pictures would rather abandon its pursuit of "The Fast and the Furious" sequel rights than sell the rights to "300".
Thus, Skydance Pictures voluntarily suspended the negotiations.
It was a risky gamble, but when a story broke on TMZ that one of the producers, Zack Snyder, had been in contact with Frank Miller multiple times on behalf of Warner Bros., Universal Pictures decided to restart the talks.
The negotiations for the rights resumed. While Skydance Pictures didn't gain complete control, the move did place both sides on a more equal footing.
All that remained was the tug-of-war.
***
"How are the negotiations between Universal Pictures and Skydance going?"
In a Burbank café, Vin Diesel asked his new agent, Brock, "They still don't know Horner is behind this, do they?"
Brock pulled out a chair and sat across from Diesel. "Not yet. Universal thinks it's all David's operation."
He picked up the glass of water in front of him, took a long drink, and loosened his tie before continuing, "I'd guess that in a week, tops, Universal will have a deal with Skydance."
A look of displeasure crossed Diesel's face. "Opportunists."
"Three days ago, I tried to find out more details, but I couldn't dig up anything new, other than that both sides have reached some kind of consensus."
Hearing this, Vin Diesel's face remained impassive.
"The day before yesterday, Skydance walked out of the negotiations. Yesterday afternoon, at Universal Pictures' initiative, the Skydance people returned to the table. This means both sides are close to reaching an agreement."
Vin Diesel nodded. "Which means the opportunity I've been waiting for is getting closer?"
Brock nodded, looking puzzled. "Exactly."
He had learned this information more than a week ago and had immediately told Diesel. His original plan was to report it straight to Universal so they could sever contact with Skydance and proceed with "The Fast and the Furious" franchise themselves.
But that wasn't what Vin Diesel wanted at all. He had insisted on waiting for what he deemed the perfect moment to approach Universal Pictures.
"And you think what I'm doing is unnecessary?" Diesel asked, looking at Brock.
"Most likely."
"Hmph. What do you know," Vin Diesel scoffed. "I don't just want to reboot the 'Fast and the Furious' series and build a successful franchise. I want to give Matthew a little present!"
Originally, he'd only been somewhat interested in rebooting "The Fast and the Furious", given his dissatisfaction with Universal at the time.
But after Brock revealed that Horner wanted to buy the franchise rights, his interest skyrocketed. What could be more satisfying than landing a direct blow on Matthew?
"I'll just wait a little longer." Vin Diesel stood up, his presence radiating a fierce intensity.
"I'll snatch the franchise right out from under him and humiliate him! I'll show him that to me, he's still the same worthless nobody he was the first time we met!"
The corners of Brock's mouth twitched as a nagging thought surfaced: Had he made a mistake siding with Diesel?
How much trouble and criticism would this guy cause in the future?
But the thought was fleeting. Diesel had the necessary resources, especially the capital to get a film project off the ground.
After lunch, Brock accompanied Vin Diesel to Universal Studios to meet with a director from the production department, and everything went as smoothly as they had anticipated.
Upon learning that Matthew Horner was the man behind David and Skydance Pictures, Universal immediately re-evaluated the market potential of the franchise.
And with Vin Diesel stating outright that he could raise tens of millions of dollars, and that CAA would also commit its resources, the Universal executives were clearly starting to waver.
With someone else willing to shoulder the bulk of the production financing, Universal Pictures was certainly willing to take a chance. Even if the film ended up losing money, their own losses would be minimal.
News that the negotiations had stalled soon reached Matthew and David, who quickly pieced together what had happened. There was no longer any need for Matthew to remain in the shadows, so he joined David directly at the negotiating table. After two highly confidential meetings, he appeared at Universal Studios at their invitation.