novelraw Chapter 548-549
Chapter 548-549
"By the way, there's another piece of news." Helen, like Matthew, was keeping a close eye on the shifting landscape of Hollywood. "According to what I've heard from inside Disney, they're watching Marvel Comics and Iron Man very closely."
Matthew immediately set down his teacup and asked, "Is Disney preparing to buy Marvel Comics?"
Helen answered calmly, "Well, they're still in the evaluation phase for now."
Although Matthew was an amateur when it came to business, he understood the basics; any major acquisition would be evaluated over a long period, from several months to several years, before it actually happened.
A deal worth hundreds of millions of dollars couldn't be decided easily within a typical American corporation. The Walt Disney Company of today wasn't the same as it was in the seventies and eighties. After a period of rapid growth, its shareholder composition and power structure had become exceptionally complex. Especially with the precedent set by Michael Eisner, the power of the CEO and the chairman of the board was now somewhat limited.
"Any more specific news?" Matthew asked.
"Iron Man," Helen said immediately. "If Iron Man is successful, Disney will most likely begin the merger process. If it fails, they'll probably just keep observing for a while longer."
Matthew sighed. "That smiling Mickey Mouse has a lot of ambition."
Helen cautioned, "Be careful."
"I know." Matthew hadn't forgotten that he had a separate agreement with Marvel Comics.Generally speaking, major Hollywood companies were more reasonable when dealing with heavyweights.
Of course, there was still a chance they could try to back out of the deal, so he would keep his lawyers on alert.
In the nineties, Walt Disney acquired ABC Television, last year they bought Pixar Studios, and in the future, they'd take Marvel and George Lucas's *Star Wars*. Combined with Disney's inherent business model, the company was sure to become the number one giant in Hollywood.
As Matthew thought about it, Disney was truly impressive. From animation for toddlers to cartoons for children, to shows and films starring teen idols, and then movies for adults—they were strong in every category.
When a person grows up watching Disney characters, they are bound to buy a range of related merchandise. With a business model like that, it would be hard for Disney not to grow bigger and stronger.
If everything went well for Walt Disney, the only thing that could possibly stop them in the future would be an antitrust lawsuit.
Helen changed the subject. "A while ago, I traveled across the Pacific to Hong Kong. The contacts I made were sent to your email. Did you read it?"
"I did." Matthew thought for a moment before asking directly, "You've prepared four candidates, but who do you think is the most suitable?"
Helen considered it, then replied, "Daniel Wu."
She didn't wait for Matthew to ask, explaining, "Although Daniel is primarily developing his career over there right now, he's an American-born Chinese who grew up on the West Coast, speaks fluent English, and is familiar with American culture."
Matthew nodded slowly.
"Even though you said you want to open up the market on the other side of the world in the future, our primary consideration must always be the North American market," Helen continued. "An actor like Daniel Wu will definitely be more widely accepted in North America, and a shared cultural background will reduce unnecessary misunderstandings and hassles."
Matthew agreed that she had a point.
No matter what, the North American market is the number one territory for Hollywood films.
The North American market offers a higher percentage of the box office revenue, rights are relatively well-protected, and the ancillary market is mature. When it comes to the profitability of individual markets, no place can compare.
This is especially true for ancillary rights, which are extremely profitable.
The box office share on the other side of the Pacific is currently a paltry thirteen percent, and in the future, after both sides sign a new bilateral WTO agreement, it will be twenty-five percent.
As for revenue from ancillary rights, forget about it.
He himself had once been an avid downloader of pirated films and merchandise he liked—who would pay to see the original in a theater?
"When everything is ready, contact Daniel again and ask him to come to Los Angeles for an audition," Matthew said.
They talked for a while longer about other work-related matters, and Helen, seeing it was getting late, excused herself. Before leaving, she reminded Matthew, "Don't forget the joint celebration party for Warner Bros. and Skydance Pictures this weekend."
Matthew nodded. "I was just thinking about that."
*300* had been released in North America, and both the production and distribution companies were set to make a lot of money from the film. As was customary in Hollywood, a celebration party was inevitable.
***
After Helen left, he went to a bookstore in a Beverly Hills business center, where he found a special section for Edgar Rice Burroughs' novels and bought the complete *A Princess of Mars* series.
Back home, Matthew leisurely read *A Princess of Mars*. Probably because the novel was published relatively early, the science fiction felt old-fashioned in style, somewhat reminiscent of the *Star Wars* spin-offs he had read during his time as a reader, with a hint of space opera.
After reading it once, Matthew realized the book's plot felt familiar.
The novel had a rather conventional, single-path RPG-style adventure structure, but its imagination was rich and its world-building was quite grand for its time. The "battle and adventure plus a beautiful girl" plot wasn't original, but it fit the classic mold of adventure-fantasy novels.
***
While Matthew was on his way to Armani, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were heading to their manager's office.
Due to the bad press from the recent crisis with Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie had fired their agents and rejected an offer from CAA, following the lead of Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese, who had also left CAA to hire full-service managers instead.
Although the law regulates the scope of agents and managers, more and more stars were using managers to effectively replace agents.
"I've looked into it."
Sitting in the car, Brad slowly told Jolie, "Horner's agent is negotiating with Akiva Goldsman about a top-tier project, worth at least 150 million dollars."
After the Oscar ceremony, he had hired professional private investigators and entertainment paparazzi to find out which projects Matthew was involved in or would soon be involved in.
Brad Pitt understood perfectly well that he desperately needed a major production to turn his current situation around. Audiences and Hollywood were forgetful, and as soon as a blockbuster film had a wide enough release, all the previous scandals would fade and, with the right handling, eventually be forgotten.
But he also knew that if he messed up a big production, the press would not only ridicule him but also dredge up old grievances, making everything even worse.
Therefore, his next production had to avoid failure at all costs.
While a project chosen by Matthew Horner might not be a guaranteed hit, an analysis of his track record showed that his choices were certainly extremely low-risk.
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In a spacious office, Jolie and Pitt sat close together, their expressions grave. They were keenly aware of their situation: mired in scandals of infidelity and deceit, scorned by the media and the public, having spent the last year hiding out in Africa without any notable work to their names.
To truly make a comeback in Hollywood, they needed more than just a walk down the Oscar red carpet. They needed to clean up their image, they needed a film that would go viral, and they needed explosive box office numbers.
The last point was especially critical: Hollywood studios didn't care about scandals as long as you could prove you still had box office appeal.
"Jolie, Pitt," a middle-aged man in glasses, their newly hired manager Corin, addressed them. "About your situation... it's difficult to say."
He explained, "As Pitt has already said, Hollywood and the audience are forgetful. As long as you release an excellent production, the public will selectively forget a lot. But at the same time, audiences and the media have the longest memories. If the work is terrible, their sarcasm will be merciless."
Jolie and Brad nodded in unison.
"A prime example of this in recent years is Matthew Horner," their manager Corin added. "Horner has a lot of dirt on his record, but with a string of box office hits, few people care about his past. In fact, many have even made it their goal to follow his example in their relationships with women."
Hearing that name, Jolie's heart tightened. The "little man" who had once fawned over her had risen to the top. It was a complicated feeling that only she could understand.
Even now, she could still picture Matthew Horner trying so hard to please her. Who would have thought he would become so popular?
Still, all of this proved one thing: Matthew was truly capable.
Corin then turned his gaze to Jolie. "I sent the plan to your email."
He paused. "You need to focus on feminism, children, and charity. Haven't you adopted many orphans? Make more public appearances with them. I'm confident it won't be difficult for you to clean up your image and reclaim your place in Hollywood."
"I'll try," Jolie replied with a smile.
"Pitt, it's more complicated with you." Corin's gaze fell on Brad Pitt:
"The root of your fame is in your films, and the root of your comeback will also be in your films. You need an excellent production."
He warned, "And you must do everything possible to avoid failure while ensuring success."
"Matthew's choice is our best option," Pitt nodded.
"I agree with that," Corin specified. "Currently, Horner is negotiating with Warner Bros. and Akiva Goldsman on a project called *Hancock*, with a production budget estimated at 150 million dollars."
Jolie asked, "Is there a chance?"
Corin mused, "Maybe... Matthew is asking for thirty-five million dollars..."
"How much?" Pitt exclaimed in surprise.
"Thirty-five million dollars," Corin repeated the figure.
Pitt subconsciously wondered, 'Is he really worth that much?!'
"Frankly, Pitt," Corin said bluntly, as if reading his mind:
"I think he's worth it."
He could see that Pitt hadn't shed the ego of his past stardom, so he added, "Every dollar investors have paid him, they've gotten back several times over."
Pitt was instantly speechless.
Corin continued, "Of course, no one wants to pay such an exorbitant fee, and the negotiations between Warner Brothers and Matthew's agent haven't reached an agreement yet, which gives us an opportunity to act."
He looked at Pitt. "I've been in contact with one of the associate producers. You would only need half of Horner's fee, and your Plan B Entertainment could get involved in the investment."
Pitt, however, unexpectedly objected. "Plan B Entertainment isn't available for investment right now. Aniston is leaving, and the company won't be able to resume normal operations until she's completely out."
Jennifer Aniston had wanted to pull her investment over a year ago while he was hiding in Africa, but he couldn't drag it out much longer. It was the perfect time to oust Jennifer and make himself the absolute majority shareholder.
"I'd like to ask," Jolie interjected, "is there a chance to steal the role from Matthew?"
Corin answered cautiously, "There's a small chance, if we go for it."
Pitt nodded. "That's the first option. If it fails, we can move on to finding other roles."
Jolie, for her part, said nothing. Career-wise, she had no intention of being tied to Brad Pitt, and Corin was right.
For some reason, she suddenly thought of Matthew.
When she and Matthew had faced the oppression of lead actress and producer Winona Ryder on set, even she had to steer clear of Winona. An unknown extra like Matthew had no chance of remaining in the cast under Winona's immense pressure.
Yet, with seemingly zero chance, the heartthrob had managed to overcome the major fiasco. Not only had he successfully remained on set, but he had even taken another step forward in his original role and gotten a line.
Now that Pitt was serious, he should have a chance, right?
This was also a chance for her to see what Pitt was capable of.
She had never gotten involved with him just for his good looks. If that were the case, she could have easily found young men from the modeling world. And given her fame and financial resources, it wasn't as if she hadn't done so before.
Soon, Corin and Pitt had agreed on some of the details regarding the plan.
"I haven't had any dealings with Akiva in the past," Corin said slowly. "However, the associate producer has promised to arrange a meeting for me with him."
He looked at Brad. "Pitt, you'll go with me this afternoon to show some goodwill."
Pitt agreed.
Corin added, "You've always had a good relationship with Warner Brothers; you worked with them on *Troy*. This weekend, Warner Brothers is throwing a celebration party for *300*. I have an invitation for you, so you must find the time to go."
"I'll be there." Pitt wasn't a novice; he knew how important connections were.
Jolie said, "I don't have time this weekend."
Pitt looked at her. "Can't you postpone your plans? I need a date."
"I can't," Jolie was direct. "I have a meeting scheduled in Cambodia. It's important to me."
Pitt was a little annoyed. "Really?"
"Pitt!" Jolie suddenly raised her voice. "You're not the only one with a career."
Seeing the two were about to argue, Corin quickly said:
"Pitt, it will be more convenient for you to go alone."
Pitt fell silent, but he was clearly not happy.
Jolie, a rather independent person, ignored Pitt's look and said to Corin, "Coordinate my weekend for me and book several first-class tickets. I'm taking the children with me."
Hearing this, Pitt grew even more upset. He wasn't sure why, but he suddenly felt that Jolie was much worse than the gentle and calm Jennifer.
But he didn't lose his composure. Right now, it was more important to break out of his career slump. Once Aniston was completely out of the company, he would raise funds to find a suitable project for something big.
It wasn't that hard to become a top-tier star again. Pitt had always held this belief.
***
At Warner Studios, Akiva Goldsman had lunch, stopped by the post-production room where Guillermo del Toro was working, made a brief stop on the set of *Hancock*, then walked out the studio gates. He crossed the street and pushed open the glass door of a cafe.
Walking down the long aisle to the end, he saw a man in a business suit, and next to him was Brad Pitt.