The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 687

Matthew had originally planned to ask Justin Lin to join him for dinner, but Lin was held up with work. So, Matthew left the studio alone and headed for the main entrance of Disney Studios. As he passed the soundstage where "John Carter" was filming, he was surprised to run into Andrew Stanton.

Since they knew each other, they exchanged greetings and walked toward the studio gates together.

"I'm sorry about how things turned out with the project," Andrew Stanton said, his tone sincere. "I hope you understand, Matthew."

"It's fine," Matthew replied with a smile, shaking his head.

He genuinely didn't mind that their collaboration hadn't worked out.

Even with the full weight of Disney behind him, Andrew Stanton knew better than to pick a fight with the hottest star in commercial cinema.

"Disney isn't giving me enough support, especially on the financial side," Andrew Stanton explained. "I've had my eye on the 'John Carter' project for a long time, and it's rare to get a chance to adapt something like this into a film."

He let out a sigh. "It's incredibly difficult for an animation director to break into big-budget, live-action commercial filmmaking."

"I understand," Matthew replied.

In truth, he'd never seriously considered working with Andrew Stanton. Why jump into a pit when you know it's there? While his involvement and box-office draw might have pushed the film into the black, he wasn't short on opportunities or projects. Why take such an unnecessary risk?Seeing that Matthew seemed to be sincere, Andrew Stanton relaxed. "I hope we'll have another chance to work together in the future," he said.

Matthew simply smiled without saying a word.

Animated features were Walt Disney's core business, and with Pixar Studios being even more successful, the company wouldn't entertain any other approach. Once an animated film hits it big, the ancillary revenue is astonishing. Unfortunately, the medium is heavily dependent on technology.

Thinking it over, Matthew felt a pang of disappointment. He had no way to get involved and lacked the expertise in that area anyway, so it was best to put it out of his mind.

Outside the Disney studio gates, Matthew and Andrew Stanton parted ways amicably. Matthew climbed into his car, and as usual, a second vehicle carrying his security detail pulled out behind him.

Glancing through the window, he saw Andrew Stanton getting into his own car. Matthew felt a sense of calm; he truly held no ill will toward the Pixar director.

He had no personal conflict with Andrew Stanton. In fact, Stanton choosing to work with Brad Pitt instead of him was the exact outcome of his own careful planning.

If everything unfolded as he envisioned, Andrew Stanton would likely never get the chance to direct a live-action film again.

As the car headed toward Beverly Hills, Matthew pulled out James Wan's script and production plan. He set the script aside and began to carefully read through the plan.

Even though he was only a semi-producer, Matthew understood that a director's production plan was just as crucial as the script.

A script was just a story. There were plenty of screenwriters who could pen a quality narrative, but very few directors could transform that story into a successful commercial film.

As Matthew reviewed the plan, a thought struck him: if James Wan succeeded and went on to build a cinematic universe, he would control two major franchises—a "Racing Universe" and a "Horror Universe."

The prospect was almost too good to be true.

Juggernauts like the Marvel and DC universes were beyond his power to challenge. DC had long been firmly in the grasp of Warner Bros., and Marvel was on the verge of becoming a Disney subsidiary.

If he wanted to build a cinematic universe, he would have to start his own.

And right now, he was in a position to create two of them.

With cinematic universes on his mind, Matthew pulled out his phone. He didn't care that it was after business hours; he dialed Helen's number to ask about Walt Disney's acquisition of Marvel Comics.

The acquisition was in its final stages. Late last year, Walt Disney and Marvel's leadership, including figures like Avi Arad, had reached a preliminary agreement. But a deal of this magnitude involved countless complexities; it wasn't as simple as one party offering a sum of money and the other accepting.

Issues of personnel, finances, stock, and operational control were exceedingly complex. The acquisition wouldn't be finalized until the second half of the year at the earliest.

Furthermore, negotiations between Walt Disney and Lucasfilm were also progressing smoothly. George Lucas was serious about retiring this time, ready to sell Lucasfilm so he could finance a few experimental projects.

Lucasfilm's greatest assets were its three major properties: the industry-leading special effects company, Industrial Light & Magic, and its two flagship film franchises, Star Wars and Indiana Jones.

It was obvious that both Star Wars and Indiana Jones would be revived with new installments as soon as Walt Disney finalized the acquisition.

Matthew couldn't help but think of Robert Iger—the smiling face of Mickey Mouse.

Matthew had a vague understanding of why Disney was acquiring Marvel: to fill one of the biggest gaps in its entertainment empire—the market for teenage boys.

Everyone knew Disney dominated the market for girls; its "Princess" brand had massive global appeal. The company was also an industry leader in family entertainment. However, Disney had been steadily losing ground in the boys' market, and figuring out how to recapture it was one of the company's biggest challenges.

Acquiring Marvel was the perfect solution. American boys loved comic book heroes, and Marvel controlled more than half of that market.

Given his own limited resources, Matthew couldn't compete with these corporate predators directly. The smart move was to use his own advantages to ride Disney's coattails and reap the benefits.

Late last year, Matthew had signed a contract with Disney that had officially taken effect, making him one of the company's many minor shareholders. Although he held a very small number of shares, his contract granted him priority access as Disney expanded.

The Walt Disney Company of today was still a long way from the behemoth it would become, and holding even a small number of its shares was guaranteed to pay off handsomely in the future.

On top of that, investment rights for Marvel's superhero films had recently become available.

With the full backing of a massive platform like Walt Disney, the development of Marvel's superhero films would be on a completely different scale than before, guaranteeing enormous profits.

A sudden realization washed over Matthew: earning a billion, or even two billion dollars in the future wouldn't be that difficult at all.

The thought lifted his spirits. He told his driver to turn around and head for the Four Seasons Hotel to find Carolina for a mutually beneficial exchange.

Just as Matthew was letting himself into Carolina's suite at the Four Seasons, James Wan was pulling up to his meeting with Leigh Whannell.

"James, this is Stephen Stabler," Leigh Whannell said, introducing a middle-aged man. "He's the CEO of Dimension Films."

James Wan was slightly taken aback by the introduction but offered a friendly handshake nonetheless.

When Stabler saw James Wan, a peculiar expression flickered across his face before vanishing. "I didn't expect the director of 'Saw' to be so young," he remarked politely.

The comment was vaguely arrogant, but Dimension Films was a well-known, mid-sized Hollywood studio famous for its thrillers and horror films. Its parent company was the infamous Weinstein Company, and as one of its top executives, Stephen Stabler certainly had the capital to back up his attitude.

Leigh Whannell might have missed the strange look that flashed across Stabler's face, but James Wan caught it. In his years in Hollywood, he'd seen that kind of dismissiveness all too often.

"I'm not that young," James Wan said politely, recognizing this was just how the industry worked. "I'm in my thirties and still haven't accomplished much."

Stabler, however, replied dismissively, "That doesn't matter. Work with Dimension Films, and you'll be a famous Hollywood director soon enough."

Horror was a niche genre, and even after the success of "Saw," James Wan was still considered a minor director.

This wasn't just Stephen Stabler's opinion; it was the prevailing view of the entire industry.

At that point, Leigh spoke up. "Several executives at Dimension and The Weinstein Company have read our script. They think it has investment value and are interested in working with us."

James glanced from Leigh to Stephen Stabler.

"Your psychic horror project looks pretty good," Stabler said, his expression unchanged from before. "Dimension Films is currently running it through our review process. Once it's approved, I'll have you come in to discuss the production."

He made it sound like a done deal.

In Stephen Stabler's mind, there was no doubt it would be approved. He had come here simply to size up James Wan, who was, in his eyes, just another small-time director desperate for a chance. And an opportunity from a company like Dimension Films was not something to be taken lightly.