Chapter 1105 Sniping from behind
"...I heard that you are negotiating for Anson Wood to play Johnny Cash?"
Michael McCuske pushed away the meeting Outside the door of the room, they were exchanging greetings and chatting, as if it was just a normal thing to do at home.
Mangold's eyes lit up and he smiled, "Yes. He is really an excellent actor, isn't he? We all believe that he plays Johnny..."
Words , before he could finish, McCusker interrupted, "I don't think this is a good idea."
Mangold's smile paused on his lips, and he turned to look at Kitcher aside. The two of them were about to sit down, but now their movements were frozen.
Unfortunately, Kitcher doesn’t have an answer either——
So, is this why Sony Columbia summoned them for a meeting today?
The corner of Mangold's mouth raised again, "To be honest, we thought so at the beginning. Is that Spider-Man guy really qualified for this role..."
Mangold tried to use The light-hearted tone of the joke not only reminds McCusker that Anson is working on Spider-Man with Sony Columbia, but also prepares a subsequent twist to redirect the conversation back.
However, he had no chance as the words were interrupted again by McCusker.
"I like your original idea, keep it up."
The atmosphere became slightly serious.
Both Mangold and Kitcher realized that McCusker wasn't kidding.
But why? Are the rumors that Sony Columbia is targeting Anson internally true?
McCusker secretly swore a curse word in his heart -
The top brass fight like whales, but they want the little shrimps below them to clean up the mess.
Now he has to put on a bad face in front of outsiders, like a heinous villain; he doesn't mind rejecting others or even blacklisting others, but the point is that this is not his decision, and the person he offends is still Anson .
What the hell!
They all saw the result of the overt and covert fight between Sony Columbia and Anson. Even a cunning guy like Michael Linton suffered a frustrating loss, let alone a little shrimp like him who was neither good nor inferior?
However, what else can be done?
McCusker took a deep breath and put on as affable a smile as possible.
“Believe me, I know what a great actor Anson is and we still believe that Anson is the perfect choice for Peter Parker. He has done a fantastic job and we are all looking forward to the movie now. "
"But good actors also have their limitations."
"We don't think that important characters like Johnny Cash should be played by him. Maybe he can be in front of the camera. He poses handsomely and makes girls scream with his flashing blue eyes, but it's hard for him to convey the vicissitudes and pain Johnny has experienced."
"Right?"
At the last word, McCusker looked at Kitcher, completely ignoring Mangold——
A snake can't beat it.
Kitcher's words swirled in his throat, and he almost nodded.
But in the end, Kitcher controlled himself, "We originally thought so, but after meeting Anson, we changed our minds."
McCusker was a little surprised, not expecting that Kitcher would also switch sides.
"And... Anson was the actor chosen by Johnny before he died." Kitcher added.
McCusker couldn't help but secretly curse again, but remained calm on the surface, "Johnny is the person involved, and there may be some differences between what he sees and what the audience wants to see. "
"The opinion given by Sony Columbia is that you'd better choose an actor who fits the image of Johnny Cash in the audience's mind. He can't be too young and his acting skills must be superb. After all, we are preparing to compete for awards. Season.”
“Otherwise, we may need to reconsider our investment here.”
"You guys, think about it again?"
The words were vague, but the meaning couldn't be more clear:
Don't Anson.
Every word is directed at Anson. To put it simply, if it were Anson, Sony Columbia would not cooperate.
From beginning to end, Kitcher and Mangold had little room to play. It was said to be a meeting, but McCusker had already established his position from the beginning. It was not so much a meeting as a unilateral briefing.
Grass! Hurry!
Mangold wanted to open his mouth to refute, but how else could he argue with reason?
The "Walking with Songs" project has been going on for ten years. Even after Mangold joined, two years have passed.
Finally, they finally convinced Sony Colombia to cooperate. They also thought about choosing Anson as the leading actor, which would be a good idea and get twice the result with half the effort. However, they did not expect that it would be just the opposite, and they hit the wall again.
Now, what to do?
Mangold wanted to be tough. They wanted to use Anson. If Sony Columbia refused, they would immediately turn around and leave to seek other cooperation.
But faced with the cruel reality, Mangold gave up.
Leave the conference room and come to the parking lot.
Mangold and Kitcher sat in the carriage, smoking silently without saying a word.
Sad is just one word.
Mangold sighed softly.
“Now it seems that the rumors are true. There is a power struggle at the top of Sony Columbia, and the faction that resists Anson currently has the upper hand. This is true for 'Spider-Man', and so is we."
"Otherwise... we should give up on Anson?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Kitcher shook his head, "No."
Mangold was very surprised. He thought Kitcher was never that satisfied with Anson.
Kitcher took a deep breath, "After Johnny left, we are now completely passive. We have nothing except the adaptation copyright."
"They asked us to change the leading actor today, and we are obedient. We compromised; tomorrow they ask us to revise the script, and we have no room to refuse; the day after tomorrow they change the producer and even the director, completely leaving us alone, and we are still at the mercy of others. ”
"Don't you understand this trick of Hollywood?"
Maybe Mangold doesn't understand, but Kitcher, who barely occupies a place in Hollywood relying on favors, business and parasitism, knows it all too well.
Mangold choked, "But, what should we do?"
Kitcher has no answer -
They have been working hard for ten years, but they are still stuck. .
That feeling of powerlessness almost swallows the soul.
They could only sit quietly in the carriage and puff away, letting the smoke engulf their figures bit by bit.
At this moment, the vibrating sound of the mobile phone broke the calm.
Mangold took out his cell phone and glanced at the caller ID, "Anson's agent."
Kitcher covered his cheeks with both hands and rubbed them hard. For a moment, it was difficult to tell who he was. What was he thinking? Now he finally understood what the ostrich was thinking——
Hiding away occasionally doesn’t seem so bad.
But Mangold couldn't hide. He took a deep breath and immediately answered the phone, "Hey, Edgar."
"Good morning, director." Edgar's voice on the other end of the phone sounded refreshed, apparently completely unaware that Sony Columbia was stabbing him in the back.
“The good news is that Anson has read the script and is willing to take on the role. It is undoubtedly an honor to play Johnny Cash, and Anson can’t wait to join the cast to play this role. . ”
“So, when do you have time, I think we should sit down and talk about the specific details of the signing.”
(End of this chapter)