The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 533

"Vin Diesel's role?"

The comment reminded everyone in the room, Matthew and David included, of the bald-headed actor.

After a few seconds, Matthew spoke up. "The first film was the most successful in terms of both word-of-mouth and box office returns. I was in the cast, and one thing was clear: Paul Walker, as Officer Brian, was originally the undisputed lead, with Vin Diesel in a supporting role. But Diesel brought in most of the investment for the film and subsequently had the script and his character changed, which resulted in a dual-lead situation."

He didn't deny that Vin Diesel was the heart of the movie. Since they planned to bring back Paul Walker and Jordana Brewster, something had to be done about the character of Dominic Toretto.

In any case, The Fast and the Furious franchise had a built-in audience, and home video sales and rentals over the past two years had expanded its reach even further. It would be a waste to simply abandon the property.

"Just have Vin Diesel's character die," David suggested in a calm tone. "I just had an idea: Brian and Mia get back into the game to avenge Dominic Toretto's death."

Matthew considered it for a moment. "That sounds like a good idea."

The CEO jotted it down in his notebook. "We could work that into the script."

"The screenplay needs to be planned out as a cohesive trilogy," Matthew reminded them.

Now that he had the rights, he naturally wanted to maximize his returns, and he was prepared for the project to either succeed or fail.Until a few years ago, most Hollywood sequels were a lot like the first two installments of The Fast and the Furious—they weren't meticulously planned. A sequel was only put on the agenda after the first movie proved to be a hit.

Most sequels remain on paper until filming begins, and if one installment fails, there won't be another. Studios always wait to see if a film is a genuine box office success before they estimate how much a sequel could earn and decide on a reasonable production budget.

The best strategy is to replicate the success of the previous film in its original form, using a larger investment and more advertising to further expand the series and attract a wider audience.

All of this is done for one reason: to get more viewers to contribute to the box office and put more money in their pockets.

The Fast and the Furious franchise was a prime example of this process. It starred two B- and C-list actors with little clout and featured cars that cost more than their salaries. Yet, it inexplicably became a smash hit—a success at the box office and by word-of-mouth. Universal was so eager to capitalize on it that they rushed a sequel into development without fully understanding what made the first one work. They simply doubled the investment for 2 Fast 2 Furious, only to see its North American box office numbers drop.

But the film was still profitable, so they cautiously increased the investment again and rushed out a third movie, which ended up being a flop.

It was a surprisingly successful brand that had fallen apart, and now Matthew and David were trying to bring it back from the dead.

***

"Are you sure about this?"

Helen asked Matthew in the car on their way back to the Angel Agency.

"Tens of millions of dollars... are you sure it will be profitable?"

Matthew shrugged. "Who can ever be one hundred percent sure about something like this?"

He added slowly, "But even so, I can weather any crisis."

Hearing this, Helen thought for a moment and then nodded softly.

"That's true. You can afford it."

She sighed. "I really don't know what to say. You've had such incredible luck."

She had heard from Amanda that Matthew had been snapping up Apple stock for the past few years. Now, with Apple's shares soaring and the first generation of their smartphone about to be released, everyone both inside and outside the industry was optimistic about the company and Steve Jobs. There was a high probability that Apple's market value would continue to skyrocket.

Helen asked curiously, "You poured all that money into Apple stock... were you just betting that it would rise?"

"I wasn't betting on Apple. I was betting on Steve Jobs. Betting that he would make Apple shine again, just like it did in the eighties."

Matthew added, "I've been very lucky... I hope that luck extends to The Fast and the Furious series."

"We'll all hope so. Actually, there's a question I've always been curious about."

Matthew looked at her. "Ask away. We're old friends. There's nothing we can't talk about."

"Are you taking over the rights to The Fast and the Furious because of Vin Diesel?"

"Why would you think that?"

"If you have an idea for a racing action movie, with David's support, you could easily co-produce a completely new film. So why stick with The Fast and the Furious?"

Matthew chuckled. "You're overthinking it, Helen. Though I have to admit, after he tried to get involved, I became even more determined to acquire this series."

Of course, that wasn't the primary reason. Cutting Vin Diesel out was certainly a major factor, but the other benefits and everything he'd said about the potential profits were also true.

"Helen, Tokyo Drift was a flop, both critically and commercially. But the trilogy already exists. It's built a dedicated fanbase and brand recognition with a specific audience. It's far less risky for us to take the rights and make a fourth film than to start a completely new project from scratch. The risk would be exponentially higher. You know how poorly original, non-sequel commercial films have been doing lately. Very few of them sell well."

Helen nodded slightly at his explanation. "You're right. There have been very few successful, original blockbusters in recent years. The ones that do succeed are usually the work of A-list directors, and it's impossible to get an A-list director for this series."

After a moment of silence, Helen continued, "There's no point in getting revenge on Vin Diesel this way. He can always find other opportunities without The Fast and the Furious."

"What you're saying might be true. But the opportunity presented itself, and I couldn't just let it go. Besides, David and I have already agreed that we're going to dig a hole and bury Vin Diesel in it."

What Matthew didn't expect were the opportunities he found waiting for him when he returned to the Angel Agency.

The next day, Universal Pictures and Skydance each released statements through their respective channels, disclosing the details of the deal. They also emphasized that Vin Diesel had attempted to sabotage the transaction after learning that Matthew and David were interested in buying the rights, and that Universal had no intention of ever working with the actor again.