"The sequel to Edge of Tomorrow doesn't have you as the male lead, so I'm afraid the sequel won't exist. I'm not interested in shooting another set of 'The Hunger Games' or 'Fast & Thrill'. ”

In response to Lan Li's answer, Barry made a surprise joke, although the tone was slightly stiff and easy to misunderstand, this was not a joke, but an extremely serious position statement, but the slightly relaxed eyebrows still cushioned the atmosphere, and then, Barry gently shook the whiskey in his hand, as if admiring the amber liquid, the light and shadow were full of light and shadow, and the waves flowed.

"Not long ago, I heard about Alfonso Cuarón's move. To be honest, it was definitely an accident, heh, an unexpected accident. Between the words, the corners of Barry's mouth lifted slightly, and a small smug was revealed in the chuckle, which was fleeting.

In the past six months, after experiencing the "hypegate" and the Oscars, Lan Li, who was reborn from the ashes, has deservedly become one of the hottest and most sought-after actors in Hollywood.

On the one hand, people lament the missteps of Universal Pictures and the decision of Warner Bros., on the other hand, people discuss the aftermath of the Oscar curse and the choice of future works of Blue Rite, and at the same time, people look forward to the impact of Blue Gift's emergence on the film industry as a whole.

It's no exaggeration to say that everyone wants a piece of the pie, even if it's just a gesture, and film studios are tentatively sending out offers to Andy Rogers and innovative artist agencies. The industry jokes that just inviting Lan Li to write a script alone is enough to flood the mailroom of an innovative artist agency.

Warner Bros. is no exception.

But who would have thought that before the big six film companies, before the independent film companies, before hundreds of projects, Alfonso Cuarón actually took the lead, which really broke everyone's glasses.

In the face of the envious eyes of other film companies, Warner Bros. is naturally proud of the spring breeze - "Edge of Tomorrow" is being screened, fame and fortune, Lan Li's next work actually fell into the pocket of Warner Bros., does this mean that ......

Warner Bros. and Lanley have a long-term relationship, just like Christopher Nolan and Warner Bros. did?

In fact, the "gravity" collaboration was also a direct cause of Barry's arrival in London.

Compared to the distant future of the sequel to Edge of Tomorrow, "Gravity" is ready, and it will also be the first work to return to the set after Lan Li won the historic Oscar. Undoubtedly, this will be the best litmus test, and it will be a crucial reference for the future cooperation between Warner Bros. and Lanli, and may even affect the speed of the sequel to "Edge of Tomorrow".

"Well, what do you think of this work?" Barry asked tentatively, "I mean, from an actor's point of view, do you think this will be another 'Moon' or another 'Apollo 13'?"

"The Moon", a 2009 Duncan-Jones independent sci-fi film, was a surprise and a surprise to the audience, but on the whole, more inclined to a work of art, and was nominated for Best British Film by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts that year, grossing only $5 million in North America.

"Apollo 13", a classic 1995 sci-fi work led by Ron Howard, was nominated for nine Oscars that year, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay, but it was an outstanding commercial film, which earned $172 million in North America at the time, ranking third in the annual North American box office charts.

Reinterpreting Barry's question, "Is this an art film, or is it a commercial film?"

"Personally, this is 'gravity', not any simple science fiction. This time, Lan Li gave a more professional answer, "Alfonso Cuarón is a special director, looking at the whole of space from his point of view, presenting a completely different image, which makes me sure that the film will also be very different. ”

But he knew that this was not the answer Barry was hoping for, so he added, "If I had to draw an analogy, I think it would be another '2001: A Space Odyssey,' not because of the subject matter or the core, but because the directorial perspectives of Alfonso Cuarón and Stanley Kubrick have given the whole story a different color." ”

In real life, Stanley Kubrick's directing works are diverse in themes and new perspectives, while Alfonso Cuarón is relatively limited, his touch in science fiction movies is indeed eye-catching, and hidden under the science fiction package is still a human-centered story.

Barry's expression didn't change, and he didn't make any special movements, just carefully observed Lan Li's expression, and couldn't figure out a reason in his calm eyes.

The old fox of Barry Meyer is clearly more difficult to deal with than Harvey Weinstein.

So, you nodded and agreed to star in this production. Barry paused for two seconds before speaking his conclusion.

Lan Li didn't do Tai Chi either, and simply nodded neatly, "Yes, I nodded and agreed to appear in this work." ”

Barry smiled.

Before signing the contract in black and white, it is wiser to refuse to take a stand, leave room for ambiguity, fight for more remuneration and benefits, and fight for more rights and treatment.

But Lan Li expressed his position so boldly and frankly that he suddenly lost the initiative.

Warner Bros. knows Lan Li's attitude, and also understands Lan Li's urgency, they can sit firmly on the Diaoyu Tai and recover the benefits little by little, anyway, Lan Li's hole cards have already been revealed.

Therefore, in the face of "drama idiots", the work of the film company has become simple and direct; if there is no agency to fight for their rights, then they will be eaten up by the film company, and there will be no bones left.

Barry knew that Lan Li was a smart person, and even if he didn't care about it, he couldn't be ignorant - even if he didn't know anything, the agent would definitely have passed the gas beforehand. So, Lan Li is so honest, does he not care at all, or is he retreating as advance, showing his hole cards, and forcing Warner Bros. to make a decision?

Either way, Barry had to admit that he enjoyed dealing with people like Lan Li.

Against the backdrop of the box office success of Edge of Tomorrow, the competition among major studios, the predicament of Warner Bros. itself, and the elevation of the agenda for the sequel to Edge of Tomorrow, Warner Bros. will not dwell too much on the details of interests.

For Barry, it was a good deal to give up some of his interests in exchange for more and a farther future, and compared to Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. is undoubtedly much more bold and generous. Of course, the premise of everything is that Lanli has proven its worth.

"So, we'll have to wait and see if this can be another '2001: A Space Odyssey'. Barry smiled and said, "As for the salary, we have discussed and can offer two different ways, and it is up to you to decide how to choose." ”

Lan Li's brows furrowed slightly, revealing a puzzled look:

The CEO of Warner Bros. is not right with the distribution of job responsibilities when he meets an actor face-to-face to negotiate a salary, right? Even if Barry Mayer and Robert Downey Jr. sit down and talk about box office dividends, this is not the area of work that the two men are good at.

Barry seemed to notice Lan Li's confusion at the first time, and he didn't explain, but took the opportunity to finish the following words, "The first one, two million dollars, that's all, and the second one, there is no basic salary, all in the form of box office dividends, ten percent."

Of course, in addition to the remuneration, we signed up for all the actors' package treatment according to the specifications of the 'A-List', and if there were other special requirements, we could sit down and discuss them slowly. ”

There are no rhetoric, and it is rare to see that Barry candidly showed his hole cards, which is really rare for the old fox. Of course, it is also possible that this is also part of the strategy, to accomplish the hidden true purpose with feigned sincerity.

Either way, Barry's sincerity is surprising.

Now, things are becoming clearer. Barry came to London in person to talk to Lan Li face-to-face about the issue of salary, but the reason was not complicated, it was not so much to discuss the salary, but to discuss the status and power in the industry.

The first is the remuneration.

The splendor of Hollywood's 20 million club, needless to say. Although the rise of Johnny Depp and Robert Downey Jr. has refreshed a new history of salaries, box office dividends have become the mainstream, and their salaries have long exceeded 20 million, but the 20 million club is still a status symbol of Hollywood, and only the top of the pyramid can enjoy such treatment.

Similarly, 10 percent of the North American box office is no small feat. 100 million box office, then the salary is 10 million, so as to slowly accumulate, there is no cap, if you take the final box office of "Edge of Tomorrow" as an example, it means that Lan Li can receive a salary of 55 million US dollars.

People have always wondered why Johnny Depp and Robert Downey Jr. can be paid as much as 40 million, 50 million, and this is the reason.

In their own right, Johnny and Robert have the ability to pay box office dividends, 8 percent, 10 percent, 12 percent, depending on the negotiation process, while the film production companies have strong confidence in the box office of their works, they estimate a box office figure, and then pay Johnny and Robert in one go at a buyout rate, instead of no box office dividends.

If the actual box office is lower than expected, then the film production company can also recover costs and realize profits through overseas box office, video cassette distribution and peripheral products, but if the actual box office is higher than expected, it means that the studio can sit and count the money, and no longer need to distribute the benefits to the big-name actors.

Whether it is a salary of 20 million or a box office dividend of 10%, this means that Warner Bros. affirms the market appeal and commercial value of Blue Gift, and shows their confidence and determination under the generous spending, which is undoubtedly a qualitative leap for Blue Gift's position in the industry.

But apparently, this alone is still not enough for Barry to come and discuss the salary of an actor.