Unlike most Hollywood film foundations, which are commercial investments, George Lucas's film foundation is more philanthropic in nature, rarely investing in commercial films, but actively supports film education, and will give financial support to some experimental film projects to explore the possible future of the film industry.

Many of the George Lucas Film Foundation's grantees are USC Film School graduates.

The event took place in Los Angeles, in the Grand Ballroom of a hotel near the USC Film School.

On the day Ronan rushed back to Los Angeles, he showed up on time for the event, and in fact, his personal foundation funded many projects, such as the USC Film School's newest practice base.

Last year, Ronan's personal foundation donated $42 million to the USC Film School, which was named the Anderson Film Production Center.

Ronan is not alone, Spielberg, who is an alumni member of the USC Film School, has also donated nearly $40 million, and a brand new building called the Spielberg Building is currently under construction.

Ronan also knew that George Lucas intended to make a one-time donation of more than $100 million to the USC Film School to enhance the school's software and hardware offerings.

This donation will not be realized until George Lucas sells Lucasfilm.

George Lucas is currently in the spotlight in Hollywood, and has officially announced his retirement this year, in 2009, to sell Lucasfilm, and many companies are eyeing Lucasfilm.

After all, it is not only Relativity Entertainment and Twentieth Century Fox that can realize the value of Lucasfilm.

However, the severe economic situation, the temporary and comprehensive withdrawal of Wall Street, and the inevitable shortage of money in Hollywood for a period of time have left most companies with more than enough power.

Even Warner Bros., Hollywood's leading company of the past decade, should think twice about Lucasfilm's offer of more than $3 billion and the demand that it must be traded in cash if it does not accept a trade-in.

In this special period of time, once there is a problem in one link of the capital chain, it may lead to the breaking of the entire capital chain.

Even so, in the ballroom, the top executives of Hollywood's six major companies have appeared, and if Lucasfilm can accept three or five installments, won't their opportunity come?

Ronan had a brief chat with Warner Bros.'s Kevin Tsuhara, saw James Murdoch also enter the banquet hall, thought about it, and went straight to George Lucas.

"Hi George. Ronan shakes hands with George Lucas.

George Lucas smiled and said, "I heard that you went to England, I thought you wouldn't come." ”

Ronan shrugged his shoulders slightly and said, "I just rushed back today." He glanced at the less crowded rest area in the banquet hall: "Let's talk alone." ”

The two have known each other for many years, and George Lucas has no intention of refusing, so he answered and came to the rest place together.

Ronan didn't go around in circles, and asked directly, "George, haven't you made a decision yet?"

The takeover talks have been going on for months, and it has been difficult to reach a real deal.

George Lucas is a qualified businessman when it comes to huge deals, and Lucasfilm's top management and shareholders have been taking advantage of the current focus of major companies to increase Lucasfilm's leverage.

Someone had been keeping an eye on Ronan and George Lucas, when he walked over quickly and interjected, "George, why don't you focus on Twentieth Century Fox?"

Ronan had already seen James Murdoch, James Murdoch smiled and nodded slightly to his side, and said: "Twentieth Century Fox has always been the closest partner of Lucasfilm, we have more than thirty years of cooperation from 1977 to the present, and no company knows Lucasfilm better than Twentieth Century Fox. ”

He emphatically said, "There is no company that is more suitable for Lucasfilm than Twentieth Century Fox!"

This is where Twentieth Century Fox excels.

George Lucas didn't answer and seemed to be thinking.

James Murdoch glanced at Ronan and said, "Ronan, as far as I know, your Relativity Entertainment has only cooperated with Lucasfilm in the production of special effects, and the cooperation has only been for a few years. ”

Ronan smiled and said, "Indeed, relativity entertainment is not as profound as twentieth century Fox. ”

James Murdocla opened his chair, sat down opposite Ronan, and said to George Lucas: "You leave Hollywood, the whole world film industry, the greatest wealth is the Star Wars series, and Twentieth Century Fox still holds part of the rights to this series. George, you're retired, you can't let the Star Wars franchise split completely, can you?"

George Lucas turned to look at James Murdoch: "Your style is the same as your father's. ”

He didn't say the rest of the words, James Murdoch deserves to be Rupert Murdoch's favorite son, and this strong and oppressive style is exactly the same.

James Murdoch understands the implicit meaning of George Lucas's words, but Twentieth Century Fox is not in a good situation, George Lucas's personal opinion is biased towards relativistic entertainment, and Twentieth Century Fox must find a way to win the opportunity to win Lucasfilm.

He smiled and said, "Don't get me wrong, George. I'm just stating an objective fact. ”

George Lucas remained unmoved: "I understand. ”

Ronan said at this time: "James, does Twentieth Century Fox really have the sincerity to buy Lucasfilm?"

James Murdoch first smiled at Ronan, then looked at George Lucas: "That's right, as long as Lucasfilm is willing to sell, Twentieth Century Fox will buy it." ”

Ronan asked slowly, "Buy, acquire, what is the way does Twentieth Century Fox plan to buy, buy, installment?"

Twentieth Century Fox is short of funds, because of the failure of successive large-scale production projects, bank loans, and investors forced into debt, it is not a secret in Hollywood, and news has long been circulating.

Ronan and George Lucas have a pretty good personal relationship, and these relationships in the multi-billion dollar deal make George Lucas, as a businessman, at best, prioritize relativistic entertainment when the conditions are similar.

But this level of personal relationship and closer contacts allowed Ronan to accurately grasp the mentality of George Lucas to sell Lucasfilm.

A group of Lucasfilm shareholders, led by George Lucas, who have an absolute advantage, are not at all interested in share swaps and installment payments, they want cash deals.

Especially George Lucas himself, Ronan once revealed that he wanted to use the equity of Netflix as a condition for the purchase.

But George Lucas, who only cares about the technology industry that is extremely related to films, refuses in one bite.

George Lucas has thought about the Hollywood film industry, experimental films, philanthropy, his alma mater, the USC Film School, and the future of his new girlfriend, and in his plans, these require a lot of cash.

As the second richest man in Hollywood, one of the purposes of George Lucasfilm's sale of Lucasfilm is to monetize.

Everyone has their own ideas, and Ronan has long grasped what George Lucas has in mind.

Therefore, Ronan didn't need James Murdoch to answer, and said directly: "James, even if I take a step back from Relativity Entertainment, will Twentieth Century Fox have to pay in installments? Three years or five years? Or will it be like the copyright revenue sharing dispute with Relativity Entertainment, and drag it out indefinitely?"

James Murdoch retorted: "Twentieth Century Fox has a ......"

Ronan laughed, "I don't know what part of the property Twentieth Century Fox is going to sell, and who will take over?" He stopped paying attention to James Murdoch: "George, let's talk in another place." ”

George Lucas was the first to stand up and said, "Follow me." ”

Ronan followed him out of the ballroom.

James Murdoch watched the two leave, and George Lucas's attitude has said a lot.

Do you really want to sell some of your assets and continue to bid for Lucasfilm?

Truth be told, James Murdoch didn't make up his mind, and successive big project failures have already made him questionable from shareholders and from Rupert Murdoch.

If Lucasfilm can accept a share swap or installment payment......

James Murdoch frowned slightly, recalling George Lucas's attitude, and gradually understood.

He immediately thought of the next hand, in case Twentieth Century Fox was out, it would not be a complete failure, the rights and interests of the "Star Wars" series, any company that acquired Lucasfilm, could not bypass the threshold of Twentieth Century Fox.

Even if Relativity Entertainment succeeds in acquiring Lucasfilm, if it wants to recoup its investment, it will inevitably play the idea of the Star Wars series, and then whether it is filming a sequel or other aspects of operation, it can evolve into a protracted copyright dispute.

Unless, Twentieth Century Fox gets a bigger slice of the pie in the series.

In one of the hotel's lounges, George Lucas asked: "Ronan, although I am not inclined to Twentieth Century Fox, James Murdoch's words are not unreasonable, Twentieth Century Fox has always been the distributor of the Star Wars series, and the rights to the first "A New Hope" have always been in their hands, and everything else ......"

"I've thought about it. Ronan has thought about it carefully, and the plan has developed so far, even if some things are leaked, it doesn't matter, and said: "Regarding this, Relativity Entertainment has a comprehensive plan, if everything goes well, Relativity Entertainment can integrate all the rights of the Star Wars series and related revenues. ”

George Lucas asked, "Can you tell me?"

Ronan said directly: "Relativity Entertainment is ready to buy Twentieth Century Fox!"