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"Sir, do you need to order food now?" The waiter came to the table for the third time, with his hands behind his back, and asked politely. Lance turned his gaze away from the novel in his hand, looked up and looked around, then nodded, "Please bring me a submarine sandwich with a french fries and a glass of white wine, thank you." ”

The waiter nodded politely, gave Lance a big smile, and then took two steps back before turning to leave.

Lance could feel that the waiter's gaze was always on him, trying to attract his attention, and if he guessed correctly, this should be a young man with dreams of being an actor. However, Lance had no intention of being kind, and continued to read with his head down.

After a while, a shadow was cast, and Lance thought that the waiter had delivered the meal, so he didn't look up, but just moved out of the way to facilitate the waiter's meal. But there was no movement on the table, but a rough low laugh came from the ear, "Sorry, please forgive my faux pas." ”

When I looked up, I saw Barry Meyer standing next to the table, with a polite and affectionate smile on his face, sweat faintly oozing from his forehead, and he could feel the anxiety in his heart - today's lunch, Barry took the initiative to ask Lance, but Barry was twenty minutes late, so he made a gesture to show Lance and expressed enough apologies.

Why on earth is Barry late? Whether he wanted to make Lance wait, or if there was really something, Lance didn't care. During the waiting process just now, Lance's state of mind was always very calm, so he didn't plan to explore Barry at this time, but just showed a smile, "Don't worry, I'm only here for a while." Lance put the bookmark in the page, then closed the book and set it aside, "I've just ordered, and you must be hungry." As he spoke, Lance beckoned the waiter over.

Barry paused slightly as he sat down, obviously Lance's "faux pas" behavior of ordering the first order was unexpected, but he covered it up well, and looked up at Lance, who was waiting for him, and didn't notice. Barry quickly finished his order, took a sip of cold water from his glass, and teased, "It's summer, isn't it?" ”

"That's what I love about California." Lance's response made Barry chuckle, "So ...... 'The Da Vinci Code'?" I thought you were more into classical literature. Barry was talking about the book that Lance put next to him, which was the 2003 annual sales champion "The Da Vinci Code."

Lance raised an eyebrow, "I need to enrich my reading once in a while. Passing the time on the subway or in the car is much more effective than 'One Hundred Years of Solitude'. Lance could be heard relaxed, nothing special about it, as if the tension between him and Barry had never existed at the premiere four days earlier.

"I see." "I thought Michael Lydon had found you." ”

Michael Layton, CEO of Sony Pictures, has become the most impactful potential of Hollywood's six major studios with the moves to buy Columbia and MGM and the resurgence of the "Spider-Man" franchise. The adaptation rights of "The Da Vinci Code" were grabbed by Sony early, and now it has entered the preparation stage, so Barry will have this to say.

"Oh, no, no." Lance looked surprised and waved his hand slightly, "I'm just reading this novel. It was true, but Lance knew that Barry wouldn't believe him. Carrying this novel today, Lance is just hoping to confuse the public.

Both Lance and Barry know what they're meeting today: to have a further exchange of ideas about the Superman Returns project and the DC Universe project. The day of the premiere was not very pleasant for both sides, but both of them knew that it was not the final decision, but whether Lance took the initiative to find Barry, or Barry took the initiative to find Lance, this is the first focus of the game between the two sides.

Now it seems that Lance has a slight upper hand due to the box office performance of the "Sin City" opening weekend. That's why Lance came today with the "The Da Vinci Code" novel, and he was further testing Barry's sincerity - if Warner Bros. was willing to back down, he wouldn't mind restarting the project's cooperation talks, and it would be up to the two sides to go in the next game.

"It's a pity, he should be looking for you." Barry snorted and quietly pursued Lance, "It's a loss for him, but for me, it's a gain." Lance, as I said before, I always thought you were the best person to be the director of Superman Returns. ”

As if nothing had happened on the day of the premiere, Barry reasserted his stance.

Without George here today, Lance didn't go around in circles, smiled and politely said, "It's my pleasure." Since Barry wanted to fake amnesia, Lance wouldn't mind cooperating—if they could—"But, Barry, you know, I'd rather be a producer than a director, and control the whole film, and even the whole structure." ”

"Of course, of course, no problem, the decision is completely up to you." Barry nodded again and again, with a generous gesture.

is still pretending to be confused, "You mean, the entire DC Comics adaptation project?" I'm going to build the entire DC Universe myself? Lance also showed a pleasant look, when it comes to acting, he is much more professional than Barry. It's a real burden and I'm already feeling the pressure on my shoulders. ”

"Lance, you know it's not that simple." Barry still smiled, but the sharpness in his eyes had already shown its edge. Lance didn't mind, leaning forward slightly, looking like he was listening. At the premiere that day, Barry didn't want to talk about it, but today he finally wanted to talk about it, and Lance listened carefully.

Seeing Lance like this, Barry felt a little blocked in his chest. In his opinion, Lance is a little unbelievable, and that confident and fearless appearance is really ridiculous, but Barry didn't show it, leaned forward slightly, and said calmly, "We also want to fully exploit the potential of DC Comics, and believe me, we are more welcoming than anyone else." However, your approach will not work, it will be too grandiose, too big, and most importantly, too idealistic. Why don't we slow down, start from scratch, and bring Superman back to the big screen first? ”

Lance knew that his plan was indeed too far ahead, and he also took it for granted when he conceived the framework, after all, he still knew too little about the entire idea of the Marvel Universe.

With his mind spinning, Lance spoke, "Of course, that's my plan. My idea was that we would work together to create Superman Returns, but in the context of the DC Universe. After the success of the film, we will put other plans on the table. "It's a plan that's acceptable to him, with both sides taking a step back.

Barry shook his head, "I mean, 'Superman Returns' is a standalone movie. ”

"Of course, that's what I mean." Lance emphasized, "The so-called DC universe just shares a worldview background, and the connection between the stories does not affect the works themselves, and they are all independent individuals. ”

Barry shook his head again, "No, you don't understand, we need to focus on Superman first. ”

To put it simply, Warner Bros. still can't believe Lance after all, and doesn't dare to put all the bets on Lance. Even "Superman Returns" and "Batman Prequel: The Mystery of the Shadows" are not willing to connect, in their opinion, the two works are independent, and the failure of one means that the other can be successful, but the two works are implicated, and it is very likely that there will be a disaster, which is a risk that Warner Bros. is not willing to take. At the end of the day, they still couldn't trust Lance's proposal.

In other words, they are only willing to cooperate with Lance in "Superman Returns", without the DC universe, without the linkage between Superman and Batman, and without the long-term cooperation between Chaos Pictures and Warner Bros.

Lance let out a soft breath in his heart, he was still too ahead of his time after all, and the proposal that was still controversial five years later was even more shocking today. What's more, he still doesn't have enough say at the moment, imagine if it were Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, or Jerry Bruckheimer, maybe the situation would be different.

If his little butterfly wants to fan the tsunami in the Pacific Ocean, he needs to work harder.

"Barry, I know it's a big project." Lance's expression still maintained a polite smile, "It can even be said that it is shocking, and if you want to find an adventurer in Hollywood who is willing to sprint for it, it is only Warner Bros." Not only because you own the copyright, but also because you are brave enough. ”

Barry looked at Lance's expression seriously, but there was still no way to believe him, "Brave doesn't mean blind. ”

Lance shrugged, "Fair enough. ”

"So, 'Superman Returns'?" Barry believes that Lance will make the right choice, even if there is no DC Universe project, but the 300 million project of "Superman Returns", as well as the power he promised, this is a good opportunity for Chaos Pictures and Lance to make a qualitative leap, Lance is a smart person, he will not miss it.

However, Barry was disappointed, once again.

Shaking his head, Lance smiled apologetically, "I don't think so. "There was no hesitation, no hesitation, no even struggle, categorically refused, leaving no room for manoeuvre.

Barry looked at Lance quietly, but Lance was not flustered at all, and looked back calmly, this calmness and calmness made the flame of anger in Barry's heart begin to burn - he wanted Lance to know that this is Hollywood, and without Hollywood, where anyone can continue to operate, no one is irreplaceable. "It's a pity that we can only wait for the next time." There was no change in the expression on Barry's face, as if he were wearing a mask, expressing his regret, but it was not convincing at all. (To be continued.) )