Daniel churned slowly in his coffee with a small spoon as Stasi defended Universal's decision.

Being able to ask the CEO of Universal Pictures to explain in person is already a big face.

But the smile on Daniel's face is definitely not enthusiastic, and it doesn't even make people feel the temperature.

This was also felt by the perceptive Stasi.

"Stasi, let's put it bluntly today, when we signed the contract for the 2nd and 3rd parts of "Spy Shadow", you wanted to avoid the second part not performing well enough, so that the third part could have time to slow down. So there is no specific time for filming in the contract, but it is only said in general terms that at least one of them must be completed within three years. Our basic default is one this year and one in 2006. When I announced that I would take a break next year, it was only out of politeness, so I took the initiative to talk to the world, and you agreed very happily because you didn't plan to start filming the third part in 2004, even if the second part performed well enough, it would be the most appropriate arrangement to go to the third part every other year. As for the second part, we did default to starting filming this year, but now there was an unexpected situation and I was planning to stop my work in Hollywood early, so I asked for the second part to be postponed, and in fact, we all understood that the postponement would not be later than 2005, which was certainly in line with the requirements of the contract, and I did not break the contract. ”

Stasi frowned, "This year's preparations for the filming of the second part, we have made this plan clear in the correspondence documents, you have approved it, Universal has spent a lot of time, money and energy on this, do you think this is not a violation of the contract?" ”

"Yes," Daniel smiled, "not in breach of the basic contract, and we recognize that, even if we made a mistake that caused Universal Pictures to waste some of its preparation resources, I can compensate for that part of the expenditure." ”

Daniel can be sure that the current part of "Spy 2" will not exceed two million, and the majority is the cost of the crew's operation, actors' salaries, etc. The pre-production needs to be not much now, and the filming was originally scheduled to start in October, and Universal Pictures is not much prepared now.

The Stasi clearly understands this.

"Daniel, you should understand. How much damage will be done to Universal Pictures in doing so. We've worked together so much over the years that I don't think it's really necessary for you to spend that much now, even to the point of completely damaging your relationship with the world. ”

Daniel gave Stasi a deep look.

"Not necessary now?" He tugged at the corners of his mouth. This time, he didn't smile at all, "Stasi, when I felt in need of help, I asked Universal, but you rejected me very decisively. It makes me hard to believe that the cooperation between us is pleasant, that our relationship is close, after all, between friends, it should not be like this, when one of them is in difficulty. Another option is to sit on the sidelines. Stasi, I'm disappointed in Universal Pictures, you guys do have a big family, I'm just a small actor, running a small studio, maybe I don't have the qualifications to make friends with Universal Pictures. But now, you've asked me to look out for the interests of the world, Stasi, don't you think it's a bit overbearing? ”

When Daniel offered to the Universal side to postpone "Spy". Stasi found things difficult. Because at the beginning, neither Universal nor Daniel expected that the two sides would have a conflict over the filming time, and it was. Universal can't say exactly when the second or third part of the series will be filmed, which is very beneficial to Daniel, because the actors' schedules need to be finalized in advance, and although the investor's plan will be drawn up in advance, it can change at any time according to the box office and revenue of the previous film.

So at the time. The two sides only stated that they would finish filming the second part before 2005, and generally speaking, at least one year apart, or more than three years, which is a more suitable rhythm for the series of films, such as "The Lord of the Rings", it is entirely because they have completed all the previous trilogy in a record, so that they can be released every year, even so, it is also detrimental to the new line to fully tap the potential of the series.

After a movie is released, in addition to the box office period of about three months, there are also DVD releases, TV broadcasts, peripheral sales, etc., which requires a complete cycle to make the most full mining of each piece of income. One year is a relatively short period for this cycle.

At that time, the cooperation between the two sides was just right, no one would have imagined today, it can only be said that the unexpected outbreak of "Spy Shadow" made Universal negligent, and the main controversy within Universal at that time was focused on the signing of packaging contracts for 2 or 3 films, as well as the amount of basic remuneration and sharing, and time was basically ignored.

Now it's a chance for Daniel to take advantage of.

Stasi quickly adjusted his strategy.

"Daniel, we don't have to go that far, do we? Anything can be discussed, but I have to be able to convince the board why the filming is postponed, the whole investment plan has been decided, and any change will have a bad impact on the company. You're also the one who runs DD Pictures, and I think you know that perfectly, Daniel, you need to convince me, and I need to convince the board of directors with these reasons. ”

Daniel pouted inwardly, but Stasi had already turned the wind, and of course he couldn't be stubborn.

"I've been hot lately, I think you know for sure. Disney's Robert. Iger seemed certain that I would not be willing to benefit from Pirates of the Caribbean because the casting process for the sequel was in Disney's hands, and if I wanted to invest, I would have to star in it. It was his plan, and what I wanted to tell him was how determined I was to give it all up. I will postpone "Spy" and refuse to participate in all the promotion of "Return of the King", and there is no need to wonder, my contract does stipulate a publicity obligation, and if I violate, I need to return the salary - 70,000 US dollars. That's the only thing I'm happy with the numbers, and yes, even if I'm not in the publicity, I'll just have to pay them $70,000. I didn't even plan to talk to the new thread about it, I just told them that I wasn't going to participate in the promotion of "The Return of the King", and if these two things were settled, I could immediately announce that I was leaving Hollywood, and I would go all out for the exams in October, and then let the wind out, and I would come back after I got my degree. ”

Daniel didn't hide the Stasi, it was indeed the plan in his heart.

What Tom and Rita understood, he understood.

He can't be an opponent against the Big Seven. To remain undefeated, you must make the most of your strengths.

That is the "hard to give up" to him at the Seventh National Congress!

Such as Tom. Hanks said that he is not Tom, and that these big companies can make the studio have a good male lead by suppressing production, rather than an uncontrollable super-paid idol of the times. But for Daniel, all of this had to be asked of their own greed.

This is one of Daniel's strongest weapons.

Disney, New Line and Universal, these three companies dominate the plan to "educate" him, but for now, the three parties with the closest stakes, that is, these three companies, Fox's "Night at the Museum" are about to sign, but they have not signed yet. As for "Avatar", the other party is not even willing to pick up the conversation again, Miramax's movies have been pushed by him, and Sony Columbia's "Stealing Hearts", he also let go very simply.

He chose Stasi and was honest with her, simply because this weapon is the best thing to use here at Universal, and the contract he has signed with Universal for "Spy 2 and 3" is a very important asset for Universal. Daniel remembers that when MGM went bankrupt and reorganized, it owned part of the rights to the 007 series and the "Hobbit" series, which was almost one of the most valuable things in the entire company.

The next two films are expected to bring more than 500 million to the global box office in North America, and more than 1 billion worldwide, and as the best-selling family video movie of 2002-2003, the money earned on DVD is not even less than what Universal made at the box office.

It wasn't until the coffee on the table was half cold that Stasi spoke again.

"Daniel, you can't ignore the rules of Hollywood, even if Universal Pictures agrees to your request this time, do you think that as your salary gets higher and higher, your demand for a share of the investment will also get higher and higher, and even, you insist on participating in a large share of the investment, just like Tom. Cruise and Paramount ask for the same, will we continue to accommodate you? That's simply not possible! If everything threatens our continued advantage, we will no longer be obsessed with short-term gains. I think you can see that. If you insist on changing all that, you can't talk about it unless you grow DD Pictures to the scale of seven, or at least at the level of DreamWorks and Miramax. ”

Daniel didn't expect Stasi to say these few words to him, and although it was frustrating, it was undoubtedly true.

He beckoned the waiter to change the stasi for a cup of hot coffee.

"I never wanted to ignore Hollywood conventions, I just didn't want to be the one who was sacrificed by the so-called 'conventions'. From the time I entered Hollywood, until now, I have not retreated, so I have today, and if I choose to retreat today, then I will not see my own future at all. Stasi, I really hope to work closely with Universal Pictures. ”

The two men fell silent.

She didn't say anything until Stasi took his leave.

However, Daniel knew what Stasi would choose.

At least on this one, he won!

……

Robert's connection with Stacy did not clear his doubts.

But then Lang. At an event, Meyer said that the filming plan of "Spy Shadow" may change significantly, and when the reporter asked if it could be postponed, Meyer basically acquiesced although he did not speak.

Universal has given in!

Robert let out a long breath. (To be continued.) )

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