In the Fox Building, a luxurious reception room, John Leshznski meets James Wong and his agent, Edward.

"Director Huang's "Death is Coming" series, each of which is a masterpiece and a classic of the horror genre. John Leshinski's words are very eloquent: "Twentieth Century Fox has always wanted to work with director Huang, and I never had the opportunity before, which has always been my biggest regret. ”

Edward said with a smile: "There are too many companies in the industry that are optimistic about James, and James is cooperating with Relativity Entertainment, and the schedule is too full." ”

John Leshzinski could hear this boasting, saying, "I sincerely hope that Twentieth Century Fox will work with someone as brilliant as Director Wong." ”

James Wong responded politely: "Thank you very much for the importance of Twentieth Century Fox. ”

Edward then said, "It is precisely because of the sincerity of Twentieth Century Fox that James and I came to the Fox Building tonight. ”

John Leshzynski laughed: "Twentieth Century Fox is very sincere. He turned to the topic: "Director Huang, can we talk about your new film project?"

Twentieth-century Fox flicked the wool of relativistic entertainment, and the film project was the most valuable part of the wool.

James Huang has worked with Relativity Entertainment for many years, and has somewhat contaminated some of Ronan's habits, thinking that the director always speaks by his works, so he immediately opened the briefcase, took out the document bag inside, and handed it to John Leshinski.

This is a manga adaptation project.

John Leshzynski quickly identified this, but was somewhat hesitant when he saw the specific name and content of the comics.

After all, this is not an American comic, but an island comic.

John Leshzynski asked, "Director Huang, who currently owns the rights to the comics?"

James Wong honestly said: "In the hands of the original author and publisher, I only carried out the preliminary planning of the project, and due to my limited financial strength, I could not afford to buy the relevant adaptation rights. ”

John Leshzynski nodded slightly: "Island country comics, the copyright fee should not be very expensive. ”

With the strength of Twentieth Century Fox, it can be said that it is easy to get the adaptation rights of related comics.

James Wong said: "I need the cooperation of my partners in copyright matters. ”

"That's not a problem. John Leshzynski asked a key question: "Director Huang, you chose the genre of comic book adaptation, and I personally agree with it very much, and the market for this genre has risen to the top." But I'm still a little confused, why choose an island comic?"

James Wong was ready for it, saying, "This Dragon Ball manga has a lot of influence, not just in Asia, but also in North America. He grabbed a data sheet, handed it to John Leshzynski, and said, "That's the data estimated by a number of market authorities. ”

John Leshzynski took a serious look.

James Wong added: "So far, the manga Dragon Ball has gone through more than a decade, during which Dragon Ball has sold 180 million copies worldwide, is the current global comic sales record holder, and has been adapted into a TV cartoon released in more than 70 countries around the world, and nearly 10 theatrical versions of the movie have been released, setting a record that no other manga can match, and hundreds of millions of Dragon Ball fans all over the world. ”

Seeing this series of data, even with John Leshzynski's well-informed, I can't help but feel a little moved.

With such a wide fan base, once such a work is adapted into a movie, the odds of success will undoubtedly increase dramatically, and it may even be a box office hit.

Why Hollywood loves to adapt movies, isn't it because the original book itself has a certain influence, and naturally it has a large number of fans?

Nothing, compared to the sales of this 180 million units, made John Leshzczynski more excited.

John Leshzynski said slowly: "It's not easy to adapt such a globally beloved comic book into a movie, right?"

It is impossible for James Huang to deny this, and there is no need to deny that through the box office sales of two successive "Death is Coming", the confidence he lost because of "Cosmic Pursuit" has not only regained, but also far exceeded the previous time.

"I love reading manga, which sparked my interest in Dragon Ball movies. Comic strips take us to an imaginary world with great characters, and these characters are really interesting. ”

James Wong didn't have any stage fright when facing Twentieth Century Fox executives: "I believe that the charm of Dragon Ball doesn't just come from the cool martial arts, but also the fantastical and magnificent world that Akira Toriyama has created. These superhuman characters who inhabit fantasy worlds have intricate personalities that are bound to burst into extraordinary charm once they appear in the movies. ”

John Leshzynski nodded slightly, there are many fans of the original comics, and the director James Wong has a good track record, it seems that this project has operational value?

But instead of making a decision lightly, he asked, "What about the budget?" Director Huang, how much production budget do you want to complete such a comic book adaptation? ”

James Wong has always wanted to strive for big investment and big productions, otherwise he would not have directed "Cosmic Pursuit" before.

In this regard, he already had an idea, but after a little consideration, he said: "If you want to make an ideal effect for a comic book adaptation, a high investment is a must, and it is difficult for such a theme with a wide range of fans without an investment of more than 100 million US dollars." ”

Twentieth Century Fox has been running the X-Men franchise, and John Leshzzynski naturally knows enough about comic book adaptation film projects.

He knew that James Wong was telling the truth, but with a high investment, there must be enough preliminary investigation.

"The project is good, I personally like it. John Leshzynski said unhurriedly: "Twentieth Century Fox has always had a lot of experience in comic book adaptations, and he also takes comic book adaptation projects very seriously. ”

James Wong patiently waited for the following.

John Leshzynski said: "However, with such a high investment, we also need to think about it. ”

"Of course. James Wong said: "For any film project, it is very necessary to do preliminary market research. ”

John Leshinski laughed: "I hope Director Huang can wait a few days, and we will give you an answer as soon as possible." ”

James Huang glanced at his agent Edward, who nodded slightly and answered, "Yes, I hope you don't let James wait too long." ”

Edward, the agent, was particularly confident: "Mr. Leshinski, James has no shortage of studios he wants to work with, and many companies, including Lionsgate, Paramount Pictures, and DreamWorks Pictures, have approached me and want to work with James. ”

John Leshzynski laughs, "Rest assured, Twentieth Century Fox takes the partnership with James very seriously. ”

What the other party said may be a bit exaggerated, but in his opinion, it will not be a complete exaggeration, and the directors who have been successful one after another never have to worry about leaving home in Hollywood.

It is easier to succeed by following in the footsteps of successful people, which is the simplest and most basic law of success in Hollywood films.

Twentieth Century Fox has always believed in this set of laws, otherwise he would not have found a way to stare at the theory of relativity and entertain the wool.

Isn't it because the directors, actors, and film projects that Relativity Entertainment cooperates with have all been successful?

When it comes to cooperation, it basically comes to an end, and James Huang is more satisfied with his farewell and leaves.

Twentieth Century Fox couldn't have done it all at once, and the company's normal internal procedures didn't allow it, but John Leshzczynski's sincerity of cooperation was something James Wong could feel.

All that's left is to wait.

On the way home from the Fox Building, agent Edward asked, "Is $100 million enough to make?"

James Wong said bluntly: "$100 million is just the baseline of the budget, and I can only guarantee that the basic effect will be achieved at a cost of $100 million." But for a film to be as good as the comic book adaptations of "Iron Man" or "The Three Hundred Spartans," I think it would cost more than $130 million. ”

Edward, the agent, said: "James, you've never directed a big project like this. ”

James Huang pushed his glasses up and said, "Everyone has a first time." Let's just say that Zack Schneider, who was the key collaborator of Relativity Entertainment before, has a very pale movie resume, and Ronan Anderson still dares to invest $60 million in him?"

Edward, the agent, sighed: "Every new project is a new adventure. ”

"Directing is a profession that walks on a tightrope. James Wong's mentality is very good: "You can only succeed if you control it well." ”

He was silent for a moment, then said, "Edward, I also need such a good opportunity to prove myself. ”

"Huh?" Edward couldn't figure out what he meant, "Proof what?"

James Wong said: "I left Relativity Entertainment, and Ronan and Relativity Entertainment didn't do anything to hold back. On the other hand, Wen Ziren has been treated far more than me, I don't understand, why is this so?"

Edward didn't know how to answer.

"I was one of the first directors to work with Ronan Anderson. James Huang told some facts: "Before Relativity Entertainment was established, when Ronan Anderson only had one Shahai Entertainment, I started to cooperate with him, and I played a very important role in Shahai Entertainment, right?"

"Yes. Edward thought so, too.

James Huang shook his head: "What about the result? Ronan Anderson doesn't pay attention to me at all, I want to leave and he can't even keep me." ”

Edward thinks it's better not to evaluate a big guy like Ronan Anderson.

"Without Relativity Entertainment, I would still be successful. James Huang didn't need an agent to answer, and said to himself: "This comic book adaptation means a lot to me. ”