[Chapter 898: A Turning Point]
The next morning at the Firefly headquarters in Burbank.
As the magical film project that Disney would focus on for the next decade, Eric had already sent the manuscript of the first Harry Potter book from the UK to Los Angeles. He distributed it among several key executives at Firefly, hoping they could familiarize themselves with the novel's content in advance.
At the sa ti, Eric had personally discussed the project several tis with Murdoch. HarperCollins, under News Corp, was set to release the series' first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, in early September across English-speaking countries like the UK, the US, and Australia. Once it gained enough traction, Firefly Group planned to invest ample dia resources into promoting the book abroad.
Although the film project wouldn't officially kick off until the Harry Potter novel proved to be influential, executives like Katzenberg and Frank Wells, who had read the novel, were optimistic about the story. They decided to hold a special eting to discuss and create a detailed film and the park developnt plan.
"Unlike traditional fairy tales like Snow White or Cinderella, the Harry Potter series has a significant advantage by evoking empathy. The novel is set in modern-day London, creating an illusion for readers that the story unfolds right around them, which maximally attracts their interest. Simultaneously, it narrates exciting adventures in a magical world. Unlike the bizarre Alice in Wonderland, this story feels more relatable because, throughout our lives, we've heard countless tales about wizards and magic," Eric explained as he briefly outlined his enthusiasm for the story.
Suddenly, there were a few knocks at the conference room door, interrupting his thoughts. Eric looked displeased as he noticed his assistant, Kelly Haynes, apologetically pushing the door open, signaling him urgently. With Peter Rich already on assignnt at FFM TV and waiting for a new assistant to be selected, Kelly was temporarily fulfilling that role.
...
Eric gestured for everyone to wait and stepped outside the conference room. "Kelly, what's going on?" he asked.
Kelly handed him her phone, explaining, "It's Amy on the line."
Eric brought the phone to his ear, greeting, "Hello." Amy Pascal urgently began speaking on the other end.
Listening quietly as Amy spoke, Eric frowned slightly but hesitated little before responding, "In that case, let's proceed as I ntioned yesterday. Call Yahoo and have them release a statent... There's nothing to discuss; I'll explain things to Barbara. The board? Ha, Amy, this is Hollywood; we're in charge here. After you release the statent, contact Kepler to start looking for a new Bond actor. Kevin Costner seems to be with CAA too. This ans the script for Mission: Impossible 3 still needs adjustnts to include more roles that might replace Ethan Hunt. Alright, I'm hanging up now."
Listening to Eric's conversation with Amy, Kelly inferred sothing was amiss. As she took the phone back from Eric, she noticed him deep in thought and cautiously said, "Eric, are you really going to replace Brosnan?"
Gathering his thoughts, Eric nodded. "Yeah, you heard correctly."
Kelly visibly showed her concern, "But won't that have a big impact?"
"Of course, it will have an impact, but it isn't as dire as you think. The spy film universe is already established. The audience's interest in the series isn't significantly lower than in its leads," Eric explained. Seeing that Kelly's worries didn't seem to ease, he added with a smile, "Look, I've agreed to Brosnan's pay conditions. If we want to continue rging several major series, the other casts' salaries will skyrocket too. In fact, the production costs for upcoming films might approach $200 million. Furthermore, the profit shares the leads demand would likely total no less than 30% of each movie's earnings. Even if the next six installnts grossed a billion worldwide, there wouldn't be much profit left for us, not to ntion the unrealistic expectations. Should any one of them underperform at the box office, the entire series could collapse. Replacing Brosnan now minimizes risk while showcasing MGM's determination, making the other leads less confident as they demand higher pay."
...
In reality, Eric's decision had a deeper motivation. He had suddenly realized this could beco a turning point. Within Firefly's structure, the traditional profit distribution rules in Hollywood were no longer applicable.
Beyond Firefly's system, major movie companies were either publicly traded or controlled by conglorates that held little actual power over Hollywood. This ant that when launching a film, the executives and creative teams hardly considered the interests of shareholders and investors.
Take Warner Bros. production of Lethal Weapon 4, for instance. Joel Silver's production company was behind it, with a whopping $140 million budget primarily funded by the speculative money that had poured into Hollywood in recent years.
Thus, this film, with anticipated global earnings of only around $300 million, saw l Gibson as the lead taking ho a staggering $30 million. Producer Joel Silver also enjoyed an $8 million salary plus a share of the box office. Other key artists, including directors, screenwriters, and supporting characters, received generous payouts as well. In the end, Warner Bros. would not see a penny of profit from the film and could only hope to recoup so losses through DVD sales and television rights. Moreover, under Hollywood's unique financial setup, it was uncertain whether external investors would even see their $140 million back. The returns for film funds orchestrated on Wall Street, which guided European and Asian money to Hollywood, averaged less than 10% annually, and losses were common.
Ultimately, within the entire project, l Gibson gained imnsely, Joel Silver profited well, and other key players made money too. The executives at Ti Warner responsible for this project would surely collect their fair share of salaries and bonuses, and the film's box office success would help beautify Ti Warner's revenue report, leaving everyone satisfied. The only ones who benefitted not at all were Ti Warner shareholders and the investors who provided the production budget, as they didn't belong to Hollywood and couldn't claim their piece of the "cake."
Due to this closed financial operation system, Firefly inadvertently played the roles of both shareholders and investors, the latter two being sidelined within Hollywood's profit chain.
In the original tiline, even years later, countless gullible investors flocked to Hollywood with their cash, but because they could never gain enough power to alter the rules, most returned ho after losing substantial amounts, while Sony Pictures limped along largely as a cash cow for Hollywood stars like Will Smith and Adam Sandler, who often ranked high on the worst value-for-money lists.
Now, having a firm grip on two major film companies in Hollywood and maintaining strong influence over another, Fox, as well as possessing ample power to change the rules, Eric could not allow this situation to persist.
The first priority for change was the increasingly unreasonable skyrocketing salaries of Hollywood stars. Perhaps the process of changing the rules might lead to so setbacks, but if nothing were changed and the situation continued to develop unchecked, Firefly would not only lose an increasing share of profits that should belong to the film company, but it would also lack the fundantal ability to gain control over Hollywood.
As for the stars, many may have forgotten that all of Hollywood's top actors were created through the investnts made by major studios in films. Moreover, Firefly, focusing on effects and animated films, had a lower dependency on stars than many other companies.
...
On that sa morning, at the Sunset Tower Hotel in Beverly Hills,
Pierce Brosnan was attending a new product launch for Oga watches, having recently secured a deal as the brand's spokesperson.
After following the customary product showcase, he entered the dia Q&A segnt, where the discussion naturally turned to Casino Royale and the next Bond film.
"As for the plot of Bond 19, I haven't seen the script yet, and even if I had, I couldn't discuss it freely, ha ha. Let's stick to so other questions," Brosnan responded, exuding charm and skillfully handling reporters' inquiries.
Though his contract for the sequel was still under negotiation, he never thought about giving up the role. After all, since he first appeared on the big screen in the 1980s, it had taken him over a decade to reach today's peak in his career. How could he simply let it go? Besides, he was nearly 45 years old. Although Hollywood male actors typically enjoyed longer careers than female counterparts, at his age, there were very few mainstream blockbuster roles suitable for him outside of Bond.
After answering a question, just as the host was about to select the next one, at least ten cell phones abruptly erupted into ringing, the sowhat monotonous and jarring sounds echoing throughout the room.
Brosnan was startled, and the host looked visibly embarrassed as he clutched the microphone and awkwardly joked, "Alright, perhaps we're under attack by Martians, but let's finish this press conference before Earth is destroyed?"
Amidst shared laughter, the journalists with ringing phones promptly silenced them. However, other staff mbers instinctively ducked out of the way to answer their calls.
Just as the host had identified the next questioner and handed over the mic, Brosnan's public relations manager, Sarah Lindert, hurried to the stage with a panic-stricken expression. Ignoring the shock from those present, she leaned in to whisper urgently in Brosnan's ear. Almost imdiately, Brosnan shot to his feet.
Realizing he had acted out of turn, Brosnan mumbled an apology and hastily exited the stage.
At that mont, the journalists in the audience understood that the earlier phone calls must be related to Brosnan and that sothing significant had occurred. They scrambled to call back their sources.
...
In the hallway outside the conference room, Brosnan hurried toward the elevator, followed closely by Paul Derrick, president of Oga's North Arica division, who had also received a call. "Pierce, what's going on? If you don't plan to continue playing Bond, you shouldn't have signed with us. That's simply fraud, and we have the right to terminate the contract and seek damages," Derrick pressed, his voice quick and sharp.
Brosnan, flanked by his publicist, entered the elevator frantically pressing buttons, his expression equally troubled. "I'm sorry, Paul, but I have no idea what's happening. Can you give so ti?"
Derrick wanted to press for more information but noticed Brosnan's bewildered look and finally conceded, "Okay, but you need to get back to quickly."
Brosnan nodded, pressed buttons again, and suddenly rembered sothing. Before the elevator doors closed, he yanked his publicist back out. "Sarah, call Rick, now."
"Okay, okay," Sarah responded, quickly rummaging through her handbag for her phone. She also passed him his phone, which she had been holding onto to avoid disrupting the earlier presentation.
However, as soon as she retrieved it, both phones rang almost simultaneously.
As if the situation weren't chaotic enough, before either of them could take a call, the pursuing journalists from the Oga event had dashed out after them.
"Mr. Brosnan, is it true that Yahoo just released a statent?"
"Pierce, did you really turn down a $100 million package deal from MGM?"
"Pierce, it seems you just received that news. Is there any hidden story here?"
"..."
"Excuse , excuse ."
"Sorry, we can't comnt on this right now."
"Could everyone please clear a path? We'll provide a response to the dia as soon as possible."
Amid the uproar, it took Brosnan and his publicist a half-hour finally to arrive at CAA's headquarters in Century City. By then, MGM's announcent via Yahoo, "Brosnan Exits 007 Role; Bond 19 Will Be Recast," had already spread throughout Hollywood.
*****
spatreon/Sayonara816.
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