Lance did not rush to set off immediately, but returned to work, and after calculating the time, he went to the olive garden. As expected, when Hugo arrived, George had been sitting in the dining room waiting for a while.

Olive Garden is a fine dining restaurant located in the suburbs, and it's at least forty-five minutes or more of a drive from downtown Los Angeles, but it's definitely worth the money. The restaurant is a small retro villa, with dark gray stone walls covered with green vines, and a spacious courtyard with brown wooden chairs that looks like a secret garden, even in Los Angeles in November, it still evokes the illusion of a lakeside vacation cottage where spring and summer meet.

The tranquil surroundings, coupled with two chefs from France and Italy, make the aroma of the food even more soothing. As a result, it's not uncommon to meet Hollywood celebrities, and it's also a magnet for new actors to come here – just like tourists.

Dinner here must be booked, even a month in advance. Lunch is a different story, though, and in the fast-paced world of Hollywood, it's clear that few people spend a lot of time dedicated to it. Even so, before leaving, George made a special call to the olive garden and made an appointment in advance.

"If I had expected your tardiness, you wouldn't have believed it." George didn't stand up, just smiled and sat down in his chair and said to Lance. That familiar and affectionate attitude seems to be at ease. George beckoned to the waiter and signaled that he could serve the first dish, "I see that the chef's menu today is good, it is braised veal in white sauce, don't you mind?" ”

George did know him, and he knew a lot about his food tastes, and Lance nodded to the waiter, "I can bring it to Bordeaux when I stayed here last time." ”

In fact, after leaving Diora Pictures, Lance is sitting on empty seats, establishing Chaos Pictures, and filming "City of God", and now he has to be careful and has not so much extra money to enjoy. Even a place like the Olive Garden has not been to Reims for a long time. But today, Lance came prepared, spending money as before, just a small detail.

After the waiter stepped away, Lance looked back at George, smiled and shook his head, "No, I don't believe it. This was in response to George's previous topic, and George couldn't help but look puzzled, "Because if you had expected it, then you wouldn't have been in such a hurry." This was a hint that George couldn't wait.

George heard it, and didn't shy away, spreading his hands, "I've always been the one who lost." "He defused Lance's attack in such a way that he was very clever." I've heard that you've been very busy lately, how is the post-production of the work going? What about distribution? ”

"It seems that you are so immersed in the gentleness of Zeta-Jones that you really don't have time to think about anything else." This statement also explains why George is ignorant of the progress of the "City of God", but Lance guesses that George, if not well-known, will definitely not be deaf, and George just wants Lance to explain the situation himself to see if he can get different news.

Lance didn't seem to be aware of George's intentions - as a good friend, Lance naturally didn't speculate on George's every word, "The post-production is almost complete, and then, I have successfully made the Sundance Film Festival shortlist, and soon after, I will be going to Park City!" ”

"Wow! Congratulations! George had a big smile on his face, even looking happier than Lance, "Congratulations! Park City, you've always wanted to go, haven't you? But you never found a chance, and this time, your dream has finally come true! And, still with your own work, oh God, that's great! ”

Lance seemed a little shy, and modestly retracted his smile, "I didn't expect to go to Sundance in such a way, for me, this is already a victory!" As for my time in Park City, I'll think of it as a vacation. ”

"You're not serious!" George tipped his chin with a smile on his face, "I thought you were so confident in this movie that you even wanted to get something out of it at Sundance." ”

"Haha, of course, I'm looking forward to something too." Lance's straightforward affirmation surprised George, "I haven't found a suitable distribution company for the film yet, and I hope that after the film is shown in Park City, my luck will change." ”

Lance not only admitted that the current "City of God" is experiencing problems in the distribution part, but also conveys a hint of hesitation, lack of confidence in the film, and hopes that luck can help. Compared with the rumors in the circle, Lance's personal admission is obviously much more true and accurate.

It seems that Lance is really unsuspecting and still regards George as a good friend. This made George decide to take a step closer in a rhythmic way, "What? Haven't you found the right publisher yet? I thought you had already solved the distribution problem, after all, you started with distribution. George didn't shy away from the question of Diorama Pictures, but just mentioned it appropriately, and the proportions were just right.

Lance shook his head with a smile, "It's not easy for an independent film to find a suitable distribution company. Actually, I didn't have much hope for Sundance either, do you remember the 2001 Sundance Jury Prize? George recalled it carefully, and hesitantly raised his epilogue tone, "'Believer'? ”

Lance nodded in affirmation, "The film was a big hit at Sundance that year, but it still didn't get anyone willing to release it, and it wasn't until May last year that it was released for a limited time, and after 16 months of waiting, the final box office was only $400,000. And that movie cost one and a half million dollars. "It's reality, not a joke.

For many independent films, it's one thing to not get a return on a very high investment, and quite another to get a lot of recognition for the artistic value of the film. Therefore, more and more people's movie dreams have become soap bubbles in the collision of reality.

"How much did you invest in this movie?" George said worriedly. Lance made a "three" gesture, and George's brows tightened, "So, do you need any help?" How can I help? ”

"Talk about it in front of the media? And then if the movie has a chance to be released, will you attend the screening ceremony? Lance said without any psychological burden that George's reputation and popularity are a beautiful landscape in the current Hollywood, and Lance doesn't mind making good use of George to achieve his own goals.

"Of course, that's for sure!" George didn't hesitate and said as a matter of course.

"When I think about the release now, I feel a bit of a headache, and hopefully Sundance can be a turning point." Lance looked at George with a look of trust, which was a sign of weakness. The release of "City of God" is indeed a difficult problem, and the last thing Lance needs is Ryan to step in again, he needs Ryan to let his guard down, and he needs Ryan to shift his focus. "If I make the next film, I definitely won't choose independent films again."

Lance began to dig a hole.

"Really?" George didn't believe that Diorama Pictures could get to where it is today, because it started as an independent film, and after the Oscars, Golden Globes and major film festivals had a good reputation, it earned a reputation and rose strongly.

Lance said three "why not" in a row: "It's like 'Ocean's Eleven', cooperating with a big company to make a commercial film, things will be much easier, and the development will be much faster." In the early stage of its establishment, Chaos Pictures needs the most rapid capital accumulation, and of course, if word of mouth can also be rewarded, it will be an additional reward. ”

George's face was still full of disbelief, and he shook his head, "It's not an easy task to shoot a large-scale commercial movie, you should know this better than me, right?" What George didn't say was that he didn't believe that Lance currently had the financial ability, and there was no news of financing from Chaos Pictures for the time being, and even the three million in the "City of God", he and Ryan didn't know where Lance came from.

Lance nodded and smiled mysteriously, "Of course, it's never easy, but the more difficult and risky it is, the greater the reward, isn't it?" ”

George looked at Lance's confident look, but he was half convinced. In fact, Lance had already shown such a vision a few years ago, as evidenced by the "Harry Potter" series that became the www.biquge.info of Lance and Ryan's divergence, and Lance's determination to "Pirates of the Caribbean" can be seen in his ambition. At the time, there were internal divisions within Diorama Pictures, which prevented Lance's plan from coming to fruition.

But now, Lance is in charge of Chaos Pictures, and the execution of the plan suddenly becomes smooth. Moreover, George will definitely not forget that before Lance left Diorama Pictures, in fact, the negotiations between him and Disney about "Pirates of the Caribbean" had entered the substantive execution stage, and if it weren't for Ryan's obstruction, it would be difficult to say anything now.

Therefore, Lance's words don't sound like they are untargeted.

George, who is suspicious by nature, did not rush to conclusions, and he also knew that Lance was actually a bold and careful person, and it seemed that every strategy was very aggressive, but it was not unwarranted and blindly advancing. But now, Chaos Pictures has only been established for half a year, and the first work has not yet been able to find a distribution company, let alone make a profit, could it be that Lance will be arrogant and start thinking about the next work?

Thoughts flashed, and George showed a curious expression, "Oh? Listening to your tone, it seems like you already have a goal? ”

――Jiang Taigong fishing, the willing person takes the bait.