Chapter 227 New Project "Seeing the Devil"
"Damn it Pete, why did you make this call? Is it to show your superiority complex?"
"Haha, Zhang , I didn’t mean that, you are too sensitive, you Asians are always very sensitive..."
Pete has worked with Cheng Long, and he knows that some things should be stopped in moderation. Easterners and Westerners have different values. , some things that they think don't matter are things that violate principles in the eyes of Easterners.
He doesn’t want to offend Zhang Chen for no reason. On the contrary, New Line wants to continue to cooperate with Zhang Chen. If he messes up the relationship with Zhang, New Line will immediately replace him and send another person. One person comes to flatter Zhang.
"Zhang, we are good friends, I will pay attention, I promise!"
"Okay, I believe you, then you make this call today..."
"Haha, yes In this way, "Eden Lake" has done well at the box office. New Line executives think that you are a friend who can cooperate with you for a long time. Let me ask you, have you decided on the next movie to cooperate with? We know that you are in Hollywood. A lot of scripts have been registered..."
"In addition, we have one more thing to discuss with you..."
"What?"
"New Line wants to take our relationship to the next level..."
"What is that?"
"New Line wants to sign a priority investment agreement with you, those scripts you registered , if it is to be made into a movie, under the same conditions, New Line will have priority investment rights..."
Pitt did not hide his purpose at all, "Dark Invasion", "Shark Beach" and "Eden Lake" continued Three movies have been successful in North America. Even a fool knows that Zhang Chen is an untapped treasure, and of course he wants to take it for himself.
"No, no, no, Pete, I don't want to tie myself to a certain company, not New Line, not Lionsgate, not Columbia..."
"Damn, they have already contacted you? You didn't agree, right?"
Peter was a little angry, and there was a faint voice next to him: "Ask him, what conditions did they offer? Damn it. Yes, I said, we should have signed him long ago..."
Obviously, he is not the only one on Pete's side, and today's call may not be as casual as he said.
On the other end of the phone, Pete covered the phone and said to the big bosses around him: "Everyone, trust me, leave it to me. Don't forget, "Rush Hour" is the Cheng Long I discovered. I know Asians better than any of you."
After getting the boss's approval, Pete let go of the phone again: "Zhang, you can't do this, we are friends, right? You have to give us at least something. An opportunity for fair competition, believe me, Hollywood will never find another producer who is as friendly to you Chinese people as me, and if you reject us, I will be unlucky..."
Pete is not bragging. He does know Asians, especially Chinese people, very well.
After all, we have dealt with him several times.
Compared with interests, Chinese people pay more attention to fictitious things, such as recognition, respect, and the relationship between two people.
So these words of Pete are also said according to this template.
"By the way, Zhang, I'm afraid you don't know yet, but we are already preparing to restart the "Rush Hour" project. You see, I am not bragging. Our New Line and China are really very friendly. …”
But today Pete was destined to be disappointed.
Zhang Chen was different from the Chinese people he knew.
Zhang Chen didn't tell him those lies at all: "Peter, for the time being, I don't want to be too tied to New Line. This is not conducive to my development.
The new project has indeed been Yes, it’s called “I Saw the Devil,” but I’m not sure if I’ll continue to cooperate with New Line. God knows if other companies will offer better terms.”
He is sure about “Seeing the Devil.” The next work is the one promised to Jason Statham.
He had two alternatives before, "Seeing the Devil" and "Law-Abiding Citizen".
From a plot point of view, "Law-Abiding Citizen" is more American. Ironically, the American judicial system has a higher purpose, but Zhang Chen feels that "Seeing the Devil" can vent people's emotions better.
There is no doubt that if "See the Devil" is made, it will definitely be an R-rated film, but its influence will definitely be unparalleled.
This movie can be explained by an old Chinese saying - evil people will be punished by evil people.
Since you choose to be a perverted murderer, don’t even think about enjoying human rights.
I will torture you ten times and a hundred times more cruelly than you.
Of course, the male protagonist does this not for justice, but also for revenge, but even so, it will still make people applaud.
Hearing the name "Seeing the Devil", someone on the other end of the phone immediately ordered: "Quickly, find out "I Saw the Devil". I want to know what kind of story it is..."
< br>New Line's efficiency is still very high, and someone immediately found the script for "Seeing the Devil".
These scripts have been registered with the Screenwriters Guild, and film and television companies can check them at will.
"It's the type he's good at. To win it, we must win it..."
With the instruction from the top management, Pete immediately said: "Zhang, believe me, New Line is definitely your best friend. Think about it. In our previous cooperation, in the "Eden Lake" project, New Line allowed you to invest in the heroine, and New Line would never interfere.
Even if it was agreed that the male protagonist would return to New Line, in the end it was still the case. It's your idea. Jason Statham is your favorite actor. New Line agreed without saying a word. We are sincere enough. Believe me, Zhang, there will never be another company like ours in Hollywood. Such a generous partner..." Peter's words left Zhang Chen speechless.
Because what they say is true.
Although the role of Jason is suitable for his own reasons, as New Line said, there is an element of selling Zhang Chen's face.
“OK, I admit that among the companies I am currently working with, New Line is indeed the most satisfying to me.”
“Haha, that’s right, I said, we We are friends, and New Line has always been very generous to our friends.
How about the new project is still a collaboration between us, and the model is still the same as before. It’s a happy cooperation for everyone, isn’t it? ”
Peter? Obviously wanting to finalize the matter over the phone, Zhang Chen shook his head decisively: "No, Pete, this time I want to increase the share of the box office and DVD peripherals to 30%..."
"No, Zhang, you can't do this..."
Peter's reaction was huge, because this involved real money.
The last time we collaborated, even with the background of "Dark Invasion", in the end Diane only got 20% of the box office and peripheral shares for Zhang Chen, as well as the heroine's decision-making power.
In the beginning, New Line was very stuck. They would rather give 30% of the box office share than give it to the surrounding areas.
Just kidding, the bulk of B-level movies has always been the DVD rental business, just like "Romeo Deadly". The North American movie box office was more than 20 million, but the DVD rental revenue was as high as 40 million US dollars.
But this time Zhang Chen was clearly prepared: "No, wait a moment, I haven't finished speaking yet..."
Zhang Chen paused before continuing: "30% of the box office and DVD peripherals will be shared , I want to use Jason Statham as the male protagonist. I think you won’t have any objections. He is another important role as the villain. You have the right to make suggestions, but whether it will work or not, only I have the final say. These are the basic conditions. In addition, There is another prerequisite for our cooperation, which is that it will not start until the share of "Eden Lake" is settled..."
Zhang Chen did not intend to give the other party a chance to refuse, and directly used his trump card Showed.
He is not the one asking for help now.
There was suddenly no sound from the other side of the light, obviously they were discussing.
In Pete's office, a few old guys looked at me and I looked at you. One of them spoke first: "Pete, what do you think?"
Pete knew that these guys wanted to refer to his opinions. He got straight to the point: "The share was already 20% last time, and it will be increased this time. This is what we expected. I am not worried about the character. Facts have proved that Zhang will not mess around. Jason Stan Sen has already gained some popularity in "Eden Lake", so he should have no problem continuing to star in "I Saw the Devil"
He didn't mention the most critical final editing rights, which is very important. He probably knew it. We wouldn't give it to him even if he mentioned it.
I think the really tricky thing is the last one. He asked for "Lake of Eden" to be settled before considering a new cooperation with us. This is obviously to prevent us from using "The Ring". "King" to fool him..."
"The Lord of the Rings", a classic series of movies produced by New Line Cinema, director Peter Jackson is one of the co-producers.
However, New Line used financial fraud to greatly reduce the dividends of Peter's Wingnut Pictures.
The same goes for what Warner did to the young actors in "Harry Potter", promising profit sharing, but in the end it was able to make the global hit "Harry Potter" a loss .
Where can the profit come from if everyone loses money? Then the profit sharing agreed before will naturally be invalidated.
I can only say that Hollywood is really shameless when it comes to money.
That’s right, they don’t even dare to cheat Wall Street’s money, but who else’s money they don’t dare to cheat.
So Zhang Chen had to guard against it.
"Then what should we do, just agree?" one of the senior executives said.
“I would like to remind you that we still need to consider it carefully. If we don’t agree, other companies may not disagree.”
Pete’s words once again made everyone realize the urgency. Although Zhang Chen and They are weak in comparison, but now, they are the ones who want to be at the table.
“I think we can advance the box office share to him in advance. As for the DVD and peripherals, it is impossible to pay it all in one go. We can look at the results later. If this piece is really worth our friendship, Then follow the contract. If it's not worth it, then follow the contract..."
"I think it's okay~"
"I agree too."
A few people showed knowing smiles. Obviously, they had the same idea.
Don’t think that there will be no problems after signing the contract. Don’t forget, this is Hollywood and there are too many things you can do.
The way they do their accounting is something even Wall Street professionals can’t detect. How can a foreigner do it?
A minute later, Peter's voice sounded again: "Zhang, we agree to your conditions. After "Eden Lake" is released, we will advance your box office dividends as soon as possible. As for peripherals, we internally settle every three months. Yes, we will also calculate your share during the settlement. How about this?"
Zhang Chen thinks it's okay.
"Well, I wish us a happy cooperation. We will start preparations for the new movie. If you have any requests, please let me know at any time."
(End of this chapter)