Hollywood has a "script blacklist", founded by veteran Hollywood screenwriter and reviewer Franklin Leonard, and the original intention of creating this list was to exchange good scripts with friends to pass the time.

But over time, this list has made a name for itself in the industry, and the scripts in the list have a high probability of being favored by the production company, and the movies produced have a good reputation.

The famous "Juno", "Escape from Tehran", "The Hangover" and "The King's Speech" are all from this blacklist.

The blacklist is released on the second Friday of December every year, and the industry pays close attention to this list, and Zhang Yuanjun pays attention to the new scripts on the list every year, as well as those that have been bought by the production company.

This year's blacklist has not yet been announced, and Zhang Yuanjun is bored at home, looking through the blacklist released at the end of last year on the website of the Writers Guild.

At the top of the list is a suspense film called "Holland, Michigan", written by Andrew Sodroski, and the blacklist notes that the film was bought by Nicole Kidman's company, but it is unclear how far it was made.

The second-ranked movie is called "MI6", and you can tell by looking at the name that it is a spy film, and the notes show that the script is from Universal, but there is no news about this film in the industry.

Zhang Yuanjun looked through the blacklist, most of the scripts were very unfamiliar with their names, and it seemed that even if they were on the blacklist and were bought by the film company, they might not be able to be made into movies.

It's just too risky to make a movie.

At the end of the blacklist, Zhang Yuanjun found a script called "Manchester by the sea", written and signed by Kenneth Lonergan, and the copyright owner is a film and television company called Pearl Street.

Zhang Yuanjun is very familiar with this movie, but he doesn't know this Pearl Street film and television company.

I just don't know if this company has started filming this script.

Zhang Yuanjun searched the Pearl Street Film and Television Company on the Internet and found that it was Matt Damon's company.

Zhang Yuanjun immediately called his manager: "Eddie, can you contact Matt Damon?" ”

Although he didn't know what his boss wanted to do, Eddie still said, "You can get in touch." ”

"Okay, you can help me make an appointment with him tomorrow."

"Come on boss, it's hard to make an appointment for this kind of superstar."

"I don't care what you do, I'm going to see him tomorrow, and I'm going to have at least an hour to talk."

"I'll try to do it for you. Zhang, what are you looking for Matt Damon for? ”

"He has a script in his hand that I'm interested in, and I want to see if I can get him to transfer it to me."

Eddie was relieved to hear his boss say this: "It's much easier to make an appointment for a business meeting than for a private meeting, and I think I can do it." ”

At 10 a.m. the next day, Zhang Yuanjun and Eddie, along with their respective assistants and a copyright lawyer, landed in San Francisco.

After a night of inquiry, Zhang Yuanjun now knows that Matt Damon did not start filming "Manchester by the Sea", after he bought the copyright, he wanted to direct and act by himself, but he couldn't adjust the schedule, so he could only put down the film, choose to retire behind the scenes to be a producer, and choose the opportunity to choose a suitable director and actor for the film.

It's easy to do without shooting.

Matt Damon recently did the final action training in San Francisco for the new film "The Martian", which will be launched next month, and there is nothing else to do every day except exercise, which makes Matt Damon's time very good.

Matt Damon knows that Zhang Yuanjun, the 24-year-old Cannes actor, is difficult to know.

Since Matt Damon is willing to meet and talk, he must also have the idea of selling the copyright.

This creates good preconditions for the meeting between the two sides.

The two parties made an appointment to meet at the hotel where Matt Damon was staying.

Matt Damon had just celebrated his 44th birthday in training camp when Zhang Yuanjun presented a belated gift, a fine can of tea.

He doesn't know if Matt Damon drinks tea or not.

Zhang Yuanjun enthusiastically introduced to him that it was tea from China's Min Province: "Even the leaders of our country drink this. ”

Blowing the big red robe with his eyes closed, Zhang Yuanjun said the same if he gave Moutai Chinese cigarettes.

Matt Damon happily took the jar of tea and invited everyone to sit down: "I will put this jar of tea away, so that if the conversation is not good, you will hit me on the head with this jar." ”

Everyone laughed.

Matt Damon said that Zhang Yuanjun was the first person to come to the door to buy "Manchester by the Sea".

"Many of the scripts on the blacklist can't be made into films," Zhang Yuanjun is stating the fact, "More than half of the scripts will be suspended during the preparation period for various reasons." ”

Matt Damon nodded, and even added mischievously: "7 percent, more than 7 percent of the script can't make a movie." ”

Hollywood earns more than 50,000 scripts every year, how much can be approved each year? How many of them can really be filmed after the project is established?

The domestic market is not far behind.

After a few words of gossip, everyone finally brought the topic back to "Manchester by the Sea", Zhang Yuanjun expressed his love for this script very bluntly, hoping that Matt Damon could cut his love: "I think I will be able to play the role of Lee well." ”

Lee is a depressed and sad person, and the role of this temperament happens to be what Zhang Yuanjun is best at.

Matt Damon laughed: "I've watched "Detachment" and I don't doubt your acting skills. Matt Damon's lawyer was worried that the boss would be taken to continue the negotiation as an actor, and when the time came, the feelings would be overflowing, and it would be bad to give the script to Zhang Yuanjun, so he immediately took over:

"If it weren't for the fact that we couldn't adjust the schedule, we wouldn't have sold the rights."

The next step is to negotiate with the copyright attorneys on both sides.

One wants to buy, the other is willing to sell, and negotiate the conditions.

But when he learned that Zhang Yuanjun wanted to bring the script back to China for filming, Matt Damon didn't expect it, but the negotiation lawyer didn't care, he sold the goods, and he didn't care where the goods flowed if they were sold.

Zhang Yuanjun saw Matt Damon's hesitation and explained: "Manchester by the Sea is a Western story, and I must adapt it to be more oriental, otherwise this film will be ruined in my hands." ”

Matt Damon certainly understands what Zhang Yuanjun means, and he is now facing a very difficult choice, either to resell the script to Zhang Yuanjun and let him bring it back to China, or to keep the script in his own hands and don't know when it will be filmed, because he has no time to direct and act in this movie during the copyright period of the script, and he doesn't know when he will find a suitable director and actor for "Manchester by the Sea".

Matt Damon's lawyer says think about it. The first day of negotiations ended like this, Zhang Yuanjun stayed tomorrow at most, and the day after tomorrow he would fly back to China to film.

Time was really rushed.

The next day, Zhang Yuanjun did not see Matt Damon, and his team was in charge of the negotiation process.

On the third day, Zhang Yuanjun decisively got on the plane and left according to the prior itinerary.

It wasn't until Zhang Yuanjun had been filming in the crew for two days that he received a message from Eddie that night, and Matt Damon promised to transfer "Manchester by the Sea" to Zhang Yuanjun. (End of chapter)

.