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By mid-September, Helen Herman, representing Matthew, and Marvel Entertainment had finally reached agreement on most of the terms after five rounds of lengthy negotiations.

In the negotiation process, it was not Matthew's side that was relatively anxious, but Marvel Entertainment, in order to shoot and produce "Iron Man", Marvel Entertainment registered and established Marvel Studios, and selected Marvel Studios as the location in Burbank, where film companies and media groups gathered.

But now Marvel Studios, except for the CEO Kevin Feige, most of the structure is an empty shell, and it is difficult to recruit good players in the film industry in the absence of qualifications and successful experience.

Not to mention the funding, "Iron Man" plans to start filming in three months next year, preliminary preparations are underway, pre-sales and advertising sponsorship are very unsatisfactory, if the follow-up funds can't keep up, the project is not without the possibility of dying, maybe Marvel Entertainment will embark on the road of mortgage copyright loans.

Therefore, Marvel Entertainment urgently needs the $40 million to stabilize the morale of the military, and with the $40 million investment, it is much easier to fool others to plug the remaining $20 million gap.

While Marvel is negotiating with Matthew, it also sent Kevin Feige to continue to lobby Paramount Pictures, in any case, Paramount Pictures is the distributor of "Iron Man", if they can be pulled into the water, Paramount Pictures will be more attentive to the promotion of the film and invest more resources.

"If nothing else, in three days of negotiations, we will be able to reach an agreement with Marvel. ”

In the office of Angel Agency, Helen Herman gave Matthew an update on the negotiations, "Avi Arad and I have basically finalized a joint press conference next Monday to sign a formal agreement. ”

Matthew thought for a moment and said, "Marvel wants to borrow me to do a wave of pre-publicity first. ”

Helen Herman said directly, "Your influence and appeal, as well as your unabated exposure and attention, are all factors that Marvel can consider when accepting investment." ”

Matthew understands what this means, after all, his $40 million investment is not as simple as simply investing money, and he can also bring invisible influence to "Iron Man".

"And. Helen Herman picked up a model of a Mercedes concept car from her desk, "You can help them pull the Mercedes company as an advertising sponsor, and it also makes a big difference." ”

Matthew had proposed to Mercedes-Benz before, and Mercedes-Benz was a little skeptical at first, but when he heard that he was going to invest $40 million, he still showed great interest in the fact that he had chosen films with a 100% success rate in the past.

Of course, like most Hollywood star sponsors, Mercedes' advertising sponsorship will be consistent with him as a spokesperson.

These are advantages that cannot be matched by a mortgage from a bank.

Originally, he also beat the idea of Rolex, but Rolex was not very cold, and he was only one of the many spokespeople of Rolex, and his status was far less prominent than in Mercedes-Benz.

But for the "Iron Man" project, which is struggling to move forward, Mercedes-Benz's advertising sponsorship can help them solve many problems.

"What about our conditions?" asked Matthew.

"This kind of negotiation, appropriate compromise is a must. Helen Herman fiddled with the Mercedes concept car model and said, "Of course, Marvel has made concessions. ”

She didn't let Matthew wait, and elaborated, "You're going to be the producer of 'Iron Man,' and you're the third-most powerful producer after Kevin Feige and Avi Aradd." ”

Matthew knew that what Helen Herman said had already been negotiated, and he didn't open his mouth until Helen Herman continued.

"In terms of third-party guarantees, "Iron Man" uses FFI, which is currently the largest and most reputable guarantee company in Hollywood, and there is no need to replace it. Helen Herman continued, "Marvel Entertainment has also agreed to use PricewaterhouseCoopers as a third-party financial review, and there will be separate contract provisions for the two at that time. ”

She put down the concept car model in her hand, "In terms of the number of follow-up investment films, it may be a bit far from your original goal. ”

Matthew was mentally prepared for this, saying, "I was going to shout ten at the beginning, but I temporarily changed my words to twenty. ”

Helen Herman glanced at him, "This one is the hardest to talk about. ”

"I know. Matthew actually understands it, "If "Iron Man" fails, it will be impossible for Marvel to independently produce other superhero movies in a short period of time; once "Iron Man" is successful, Marvel has a precedent for success, and it will be much easier for subsequent films to raise funds. ”

Helen Herman nodded, "Exactly. She pushed her black-rimmed eyes up, "So, Marvel wants to cut this item directly in the negotiations, if it weren't for the urgent funding issue, it is estimated that we would not be able to negotiate, and it was not until yesterday afternoon that there was a fairly acceptable result." ”

Matthew was most concerned about this aspect, and asked directly, "How many?"

"The negotiations cut two-thirds of the amount you said. Helen Herman said lightly, "In addition to "Iron Man", if Marvel Studios continues to shoot Marvel superhero movies in the future, you have the right of first refusal to invest in the next seven films, but the investment ratio of each one must not exceed 20%. ”

"That's it. Matthew crossed his fingers and calculated, there should be no problem with the seven parts to "The Avengers," I am satisfied. ”

He frowned slightly and reminded, "Helen, pay attention to this aspect of the contract, be detailed, and take into account all possible loopholes and pitfalls. ”

Most Hollywood studios do have a very contractual spirit, but if the interests are large enough, there are many examples of defaulting on debts, and Peter Jackson, the fat man, is still in a lawsuit with New Line Pictures over the director's remuneration of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

"Don't worry. Helen Herman had already thought about that, "and Mr. Wilson gathered five senior lawyers in the entertainment industry to draft and review the contract. ”

Matthew suddenly thought of something, "By the way, add a clause, even if there is a change in the equity of Marvel and their subsidiaries, Marvel will give priority to ensuring my investment permissions." ”

Marvel will belong to Baby Di in the future.

Helen Herman took out her pen, jotted it down in her notebook, and said, "I'll inform Attorney Wilson." She closed the book, "Then there is the revenue sharing, and your investment will enjoy the same proportion of revenue sharing, but only in terms of the global box office of the film, the rental and sale of DVDs and videotapes, the online video on demand, and the revenue from TV broadcasts." ”

Matthew frowned and asked, "What about the rest of the surroundings?"

Helen Herman shook her head, "Offline products such as toys and dolls for films, extended comics, and character image licensing are not included. ”

Matthew thought for a moment and said, "Keep talking to them, and fight for everything." ”

"I see. Helen Herman first responded, then stopped talking, paused for a long time before saying, "Matthew, let me remind you one last time, this investment is extremely risky, in case "Iron Man" fails at the box office, you can't get back much of the $40 million. ”

Hearing this, Matthew smiled at Helen Herman.

He sees very clearly that even now, Helen Herman, like most people in the Hollywood circle, is not optimistic about Marvel's involvement in the film industry at all, and the reason why she tries her best to negotiate with Marvel is more due to her career.

Of course, Matthew knew that Helen Herman was well-intentioned, so he reminded him again and again to be aware of the risks.

Judging by the events he has experienced over the years, Matthew believes that the chances of success in Iron Man are far higher than the likelihood of failure, and the problem is that he can't tell Helen Herman.

This kind of thing is neither clear nor explainable.

Helen Herman saw Matthew thinking, and added, "Matthew, it's too late to stop." ”

Matthew rubbed his forehead, and finally thought of the right words, which was Helen Herman, and he didn't bother to say it if it were someone else.

"Don't worry, Helen, I know what I'm doing. Matthew was very sober, "My investment in "Iron Man" was not impulsive, but the result of careful consideration. ”

Without waiting for Helen Herman to reply, he added, "Why can mainstream Hollywood commercial films break through cultural and language barriers? Become the most popular film in the world? Because visual spectacle breaks down the barriers of language and culture, the world's film market demand is the most popular blockbuster that sells visual spectacle." Technological development and the growth of capital investment have determined that comic books can be an important material for visual blockbusters, and I think superhero films will be the focus of Hollywood productions now and in the foreseeable short-term future. ”

Hearing Matthew's remarks, Helen Herman blinked her eyes subconsciously, a little strange appeared on her calm face, and a pair of bright blue eyes couldn't help but look Matthew up and down.

"Don't look at me like that, okay?" Matthew spread his hands helplessly, "I've been learning all these years, and I'm no longer an idiot who knows nothing." ”

Helen Herman also understood that it was impossible for Matthew to give up this investment, no longer persuading, and simply changed the subject.

"Let's talk about Armani's panty endorsement. She quickly regained her composure, "That's another focus we're going to focus on next." ”

Matthew collected his mood and wondered, "Didn't you tell me last time that the most promising person wasn't David Beckham?"

Helen Herman crossed her hands on the table, "There's something wrong with David Beckham on the European side, I met Pis Kingsley the other day and she's been obsessed with Tom Cruise firing her. ”

I don't know why, she suddenly wanted to laugh, "You have a big advantage, and when the trailer of "Three Hundred Warriors of Sparta" and your character poster are officially announced, Armani will definitely list you as the first choice." ”