"Official clarification."
An official statent from Sony Columbia took them only thirty minutes. Before the crowd could fully surround Sony Columbia's Madison Avenue headquarters, Michael Lynton demonstrated his decisive ability by promptly issuing a strong, positive response.
Because Michael knew, ti is money.
Sony Columbia had to hit the brakes before things spiraled out of control. If they delayed, unseen shadows and lurking ghosts in the dark would erge one by one, and by the ti public opinion ford a storm, even if Sony Columbia could clarify the facts, their reputation would be beyond repair.
Everything had to be fast and resolute.
In this official statent, Michael displayed his talents and capabilities fully—it's also why he beca CEO.
First, they condemned TMZ, calling it all nonsense.
Second, they emphasized that the list in question was for an unnad confidential project's audition and had nothing to do with Spider-Man 2.
Third, they expressed that Sony Columbia had been patiently observing Anson Wood's condition and sincerely hoped for his speedy recovery.
Concise and straight to the point.
The key points of Sony Columbia's statent can be summarized in those three points, but within the sa statent, one can read different attitudes from Michael.
Facing the paparazzi, he was harsh, directly blaming Harry Percy for being unscrupulous in shifting attention, claiming there was no difference between him and any other tabloid. His wording, tone, and sentence structure all reflected the anger behind the text, as if he wanted to roll up his sleeves and start swinging punches.
Facing the audience, there was no direct response, but between the lines, they subtly blad the public for lacking discernnt and judgnt, insinuating that they shouldn't have blindly believed TMZ. Even though this statent only appeared because crowds surrounded Sony Columbia's headquarters, there was no ntion of the audience in it.
Regarding Anson, the words were vague, polite but stiff, repeatedly using the sa platitudes. It seed supportive of Anson, but if you read carefully, you'd notice sothing off:
The statent could have simply said, "Sony Columbia has never and does not plan to replace Anson," which would have decisively quashed all disputes—paparazzi could leave, and the audience could too. The issue would be fully resolved. But they didn't say that.
The entire statent, from beginning to end, never directly addressed Anson's involvent with the production or his continued role as Spider-Man—not even a word.
Smart people could see Michael's cunning. He left room for maneuvering. After the dust settles, if they can replace Anson, they would follow through. And if they face backlash, they can confidently say:
"I only said the list wasn't for a replacent, but I never said we weren't making contingency plans for the movie."
So might call this shaless.
But does Michael care?
The answer is no.
In fact, if it weren't for the overwhelming public outcry, if it weren't for the massive crowd surrounding the Sony Columbia building, they wouldn't have bothered responding to the rumors. After all, Spider-Man is Sony Columbia's project—since when does anyone else get to tell them what to do?
This statent is already the result of Sony Columbia compromising.
However, regardless of everything, Michael was still impressive. This statent covered all the bases, not only addressing the controversy but also clearing any suspicion.
So, the situation evolved into a "Paparazzi vs. Movie Studio" narrative. TMZ and Sony Columbia now stood at odds. So, who was telling the truth?
Clearly, most people were inclined to believe Sony Columbia. Although conspiracy theories were still rampant, and plenty of people believed TMZ wasn't spouting nonsense, overall, Sony Columbia's statent was logical, well-structured, and very convincing.
The tides were quietly turning.
...
"Sir."
The assistant noticed the office door was ajar but still called out from the doorway.
Michael Lynton stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down without turning around. He raised his hand, signaling for the assistant to enter.
The assistant brought in a salad and coffee, asking Michael if he wanted anything else. But it was obvious Michael wasn't interested. Even though it was well past lunchti, he still had no appetite, his gaze fixed downward.
The reason was simple: the crowd below was still gathered and showed no sign of dispersing.
"Sir, I just spoke with the NYPD. They said the assembly down there was authorized with a permit. City Hall approved it, so the NYPD can't do anything."
Michael wasn't surprised by this answer, but he couldn't hide his irritation. "Lunch?"
The assistant replied, "They've sent out ten people to buy sandwiches and burgers. They're all eating on-site and have even ordered afternoon tea."
Michael smirked, "Seems like they know how to enjoy themselves better than I do."
The assistant hesitated briefly but then added, "There are rumors that lunch and afternoon tea were funded by actors and directors."
Michael, "All of them?"
Assistant, "Unclear, but rumors say all the main actors chipped in, including Alfred, who joined this ti, and Willem Dafoe, who's just making a cao."
Michael let out a cold laugh, "So they're all uniting against us now? I should've replaced the whole lot of them."
The assistant remained silent.
Michael had a bad feeling.
He had a nagging sense that sothing else was about to happen, though he couldn't pinpoint what. The uneasy feeling was horrible.
But Michael forced himself to regain his composure.
"If they want to stay, let them stay."
Pulling his gaze away from the window, Michael returned to his desk—he still had work to do.
At the sa ti, in the plaza in front of the building, the buzzing conversations hadn't stopped. It was lively and bustling.
The atmosphere was sowhat chaotic—
Because this wasn't the era of smartphones and social dia. There was a ti lag between the real world and the online world, and to so extent, they were still disconnected.
While they were surrounding Sony Columbia on Madison Avenue, they hadn't yet learned that Sony Columbia had already issued a statent.
When the online news finally reached them, lunch had just ended.
A single stone sent ripples.
The young people started discussing what to do next.
Elaine looked around, a bit confused. No one was speaking up, though the surrounding area was buzzing with activity. Their group, however, remained unusually quiet.
In the end, it was Elaine who couldn't hold back and broke the silence.
"What now?"
They exchanged uncertain glances. Karen attempted to answer, "Our goal's been achieved. That ans we've succeeded. So, we can leave now, right?"
Leave, or stay?
Continue, or pause?
That beca the focus of the discussion.
Blair and Gloria, who had organized this protest, never expected Sony Columbia to respond so quickly. They had originally planned to blockade the studio for three days—
At least three days.
They thought they'd block them for three days, see how they responded, and then decide if they should continue the protest.
Because they knew that movie studios wouldn't be easily swayed by the opinions of the audience. They had prepared for a long fight, ready to be patient.
And now? This is it?
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